The Hardest Part
by JMaxi
Summary: The hardest part I know is giving up a little bit of my control... I've been lying to myself. I don't need nobody else. But I do, I need you. "I can't believe I'm doing this. I hate romantic grand gestures... But here I am, about to make the biggest ass out of myself in the hope of winning him back. When the hell did my life become a chick flick?" One summer will change everything.
1. Must Get Out

**Full summary:**

**The hardest part I know is giving up a little bit of my control... I've been lying to myself. I don't need nobody else. But I do, I need you - The Hardest Part by Laura Welsh ft. John Legend**

**"I can't believe I'm doing this. I hate romantic grand gestures. I ranted about it for a solid hour just a couple of weeks ago. But here I am, about to make the biggest ass out of myself in the hope of winning him back. When the hell did my life become a chick flick?" **

**11th grade was hell for Bella; Jacob Black and Leah Clearwater made sure of that. Bella was looking forward to a low key summer that didn't involve any interaction with her bullies. But it turns out, she has more pressing issues to deal with, namely her mom who can't stop cheating on her husbands. Fed up with Arizona, Bella flees to California to stay with her dad and stepmother for the summer. Her dad's neighbors, the Cullen family, take it upon themselves to befriend Bella. One Cullen in particular, Edward, makes Bella feel a lot of conflicting things, and she's pretty sure he does it to annoy her. He "hangs out" with a new girl every other day, and Bella is adamant about never getting involved with a player again. But the more they spend time together, the more they both seem to change.**

**She doesn't know it yet, but spending time with the Cullens, her dad, and stepmother is just what she needs. One summer completely changes Bella's views on friends, family, and love for the better, but not without some drama along the way. After all, change rarely comes easy.**

**There will be angst, mainly in the beginning and towards the end, but there will be more humor, fluff, and fun.**

**Used to be Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater, but I'm changing it up.**

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><p>"Mom, I'm ho- holy crap!" I started as I crossed the threshold of our front door and then broke into a curse when I realized that there were two very naked bodies tangled together on the couch. I immediately slapped my hands over my eyes and tried to think of anything other than the image seared into my brain.<p>

This wasn't the first time I had walked in on my mom and my most recent stepfather in a less than decent position, but that didn't make the experience any less traumatizing.

"I-Isabella," my mom, Renee, sputtered. The sound of clothes hurriedly being pulled on filled the awkward silence. "You weren't supposed to be home for another couple of hours."

"I think I'm coming down with something. I started to feel a little nauseated when I got to the gym, so I just came back," I responded awkwardly. I didn't mention that what had made me nauseous was seeing Jacob Black and his buddies catcall, hoot, and gesture obscenely at a girl as they followed her into the gym.

"James, I didn't see your car in the driveway so I assumed it'd be safe to come into the house," I joked. The sounds of rustling clothes finally stopped so I assumed they were both dressed.

"Uh, right," a vaguely familiar, male voice answered uncertainly, and I uncovered my eyes.

Phil, our next door neighbor, stood abashedly next to my mom. Realization hit me and my stomach dropped in disappointment.

It suddenly felt like my lungs couldn't get enough air as thoughts of what my summer would be like flew through my mind. Renee would continue her affair until her husband found out, resulting in days and maybe even weeks of explosive arguing, then a nasty and expensive divorce would ensue, and I would have to pick up the pieces of my brokenhearted mother and put her back together again by completely ignoring the fact that it was her fault that all this had occurred in the first place. I knew without a doubt that this would happen, because it had happened four times already. It was some weird, sadomasochistic cycle with my mother, and I would have to deal with it again with Renee's fifth husband, all while dodging Jacob Black and Leah Clearwater.

_Nope_, I thought to myself while shaking my head.

Without looking at Renee and Phil, I calmly turned to walk up the stairs to my room. I pulled a large suitcase from under my bed, took all of my clothes out of my closet and dresser, and started to pack.

I heard Phil and Renee arguing quietly downstairs but didn't care enough to try to make out what they were saying to each other. Their voices steadily increased in volume until they were shouting at each other, blaming each other for the affair and for getting caught. Their whole fight lasted about an hour and a half until someone slammed the front door shut, hard enough to rattle the rest of the house.

By then, I had already called for a cab and mostly finished packing. I had filled my suitcase, a duffel bag, and my biggest purse near to bursting with all of my stuff. The only thing I hadn't packed yet was my laptop, and that's because I was using it to book my flight to California.

"Bella?" Renee called softly and gently knocked on my door.

I didn't answer, but she came in anyway.

"What exactly do you think you're doing, Isabella Marie Swan?" she demanded of me when she saw the bags I had packed.

"I'm thinking that I want to visit Charlie and Vicky for a while," I responded evenly, trying to remember the last time I'd visited my dad and stepmother in California. It had been a while, because they had visited me in Arizona during the summer for the last 9 years.

Her eyes widened. "You can't do that!"

I finished booking my ticket on my laptop and then closed it. "I just booked my flight, actually."

"But," she sputtered, "Who's going to take care of the house? Who's going to take care of me?"

"You have two capable men willing to take care of you, Renee. Take your pick," I snapped.

Her eyes hardened. "I didn't mean for you to see that. I'm sorry," she apologized, only sounding half-sincere.

"Yeah, you didn't mean for anyone to see it, but I did. So that means you're going to slip up soon, and James will be the one to walk in on you. Then you'll have to deal with the consequences of your actions all on your own, like a real adult," I ranted exasperatedly.

"You don't get to judge me for what I choose to do in my private life, young lady," Renee admonished.

"I do when it also affects me! James has been really, really good to us. I refuse to just stand by and watch you destroy your marriage and break his heart!" I retorted angrily.

James was, by far, the best stepfather I'd ever had. He was funny and kind. He never made me feel like he was trying to replace my dad, but he also didn't try to act like my best friend rather than an authority figure. And when everything with Jacob and Leah had gone down nine months ago, he backed me up to the parents that believed the rumors circling the school and had put a stop to their harassment.

He was amazing to Renee too. He was levelheaded so he was able to calm her down whenever she dissolved into hysterics. He was responsible and steady, which balanced her free spirit, but in a way that didn't smother her. Most of all, he really loved and cared for her. I saw the adoration in his eyes every time he looked at Renee. I imagined how heartbroken he would be when he found out she'd cheated on him, and I felt so terrible for him.

I studied Renee for a moment. Her shoulder-length auburn hair was a mess. Her hazel eyes were puffy and tinged red, as if she'd been crying, and her crow's feet seemed to have deepened within the last couple of hours. Her full lips were set in a firm frown, as she pinched the bridge of her straight nose.

Not for the first time, I wondered why she continued to cheat. I knew that all of her husbands had loved her a lot. I'd seen their love for her and I had also seen their heartbreak when she betrayed them. I supposed that, to a certain extent, she needed the extra assurance that she could be loved so she felt compelled to cheat. But knowing that didn't make me feel sorry for her, not when she kept treating everyone around her so callously.

"Please don't go," she pleaded.

"You're not going to change my mind," I said firmly. "I can't stay here, watch you self-destruct, and then fix you again."

I heard a honk from outside, signaling that the taxi I called for had arrived. "I'll text you when I get there," I told her as I grabbed all of my stuff and hauled it out to the cab.

"Airport please," I told the cab driver and we took off.

I closed my eyes and played with my cell phone in my hands, debating whether I should tell Charlie that I was on my way there or if I should just show up on his doorstep. It had been so long since I'd been to Charlie and Vicky's house that I thought it would be nice to surprise them.

Besides, I was a little worried that Charlie would try to convince me to stay and work things out with Renee. He was always trying to be the peacemaker in my relationship with my mom. I just didn't have the patience or the energy to try to fix things with Renee right now, not when I was so upset with her. I'd reached my limit and needed some time to think things over.

"Miss, we're here," the cab driver said, and I climbed out of the car.

He helped me with my bags, so I tipped him when I paid my fare.

I had to rush through checking in my suitcase and going through security because there wasn't a lot of time before my flight. I made it to my terminal just as they finished boarding everyone else. There was only one seat left, all the way at the back of the plane and next to a tired-looking couple with a baby that was already starting to fuss.

I mentally groaned as I squeezed past everyone to the back of the plane. One of the stewardesses helped me shove my duffel bag in the overhead cabinets and then I sat down with a heavy breath, finally relaxing a bit.

I plugged my earphones into my phone, after putting it on airplane mode, and then put on my music. We Must Get Out by Maroon 5 came on.

_This city's made us crazy and we must get out, _Adam Levine sang and I definitely identified with that statement.

The past year had been so rough that I'd been really looking forward to laying low for the summer. Renee's most recent bout of infidelity was just the icing on top of the cake.

_Maybe being in another state, so far away from all of the drama, is just what I need,_ I thought_. And I do really miss Charlie._

Because my dad owned and ran an elite security agency, he and my stepmother, Victoria, were only able to visit me once a year for three weeks during the summer. To make up for the lack of visitation, Charlie and I made sure to talk for an hour or two every Sunday morning. It wasn't the same as seeing each other, but I loved my dad. I don't know how I would have gotten through all of the bullying at school without him talking me through it.

And Victoria was great. She was sweet, just perky enough to balance my dad's gruff seriousness, and had a stubborn streak that kept him on his toes. Vicky was a CPA at an accounting firm where my dad had been hired to set up security feeds. That's how they met when I was 11, and they got married two years later. Victoria was the perfect woman to help my dad finally move on from my mom.

It had taken seven long years for Charlie to recover from Renee. My parents were high school sweethearts, and their intense romance resulted in my mom getting pregnant with me at 16. They got married right out of high school, because they thought they were it for each other.

They were wrong. Some of my earliest memories were of them arguing with each other, behind closed doors and in plain sight. The worst fight I ever witnessed between them was the day Charlie left because he caught Renee cheating on him. That was when I was 4, and my parents divorced soon after. Renee won custody of me, not that Charlie fought too hard in the first place. I think I reminded him too much of her.

After the divorce was finalized, Charlie moved to California to start his security agency, and the rest was history.

_Wow, I have enough baggage to singlehandedly fill this entire plane, _I thought to myself amusedly. _Maybe even a whole airport, if I really got into the details and include all the drama from school._

I was startled out of my thoughts by the plane touching down. Checking the time, I realized I'd been lost in my thoughts the whole flight. It took a while for me to get off the plane and grab my suitcase from the baggage claim, but thankfully, it wasn't difficult to find a taxi.

Charlie lived on this strip of land two miles into the ocean, just off the coast of Santa Barbara. It was really just a thin, mile-long island with five large houses in a row on top of it. Instead of being made of sand, the island was carved out of a huge slab of rock. Seriously, the base of the stone was _massive_ in length, width, and height, which is why the residents of the island didn't worry about the water eroding the foundation enough to be dangerous. However, due to the weathering of the rock from the water and wind, the sides of the island were smooth.

There were wooden docks lining the sides of the island and stairs were carved into the side of the rock to lead to the houses. All of the residents had boats to get to and from shore, and they also had cars parked in the private garage just above the docks on shore.

It was a beautiful place to live, and I was ecstatic that I'd get to stay there for three months. My excitement only grew when I first caught sight of the ocean.

_I forgot how beautiful the ocean is,_ I thought as I stared at the blue-green water and golden sand.

The taxi driver dropped me off at the onshore docks for the island. I thanked and paid him, and then I heaved all of my luggage onto the boardwalk. About halfway down, I stopped and looked out to the island, shielding my eyes from the sun and the glare from the water.

I tried to figure out how to get to the island without telling Charlie and Vicky that I was here. I mean, I could easily swim the distance there and back. I was the co-captain of my swim team in Arizona, after all. But I'd have to leave my luggage here, and I highly doubted it would still be here when I returned.

I sighed and was about to call Charlie when a voice caught my attention.

"Excuse me, miss!" a voice called, and I turned in the direction of it.

I saw two boys and a girl around my age on a boat docked a few yards away from me. I walked towards them, dragging my suitcase and slinging my duffel bag over my shoulder.

"Can we help you?" one of them asked kindly.

He was tall and lanky, with honey-blonde hair, tan skin, and a slight southern drawl. His light blue eyes and easygoing smile made him seem very sincere.

"Um…" I said, just realizing that this would probably sound weird to them.

"You just seemed a little lost, so we thought we could help you out or something," the other boy said.

This guy was very tall and as muscular as a bodybuilder with short, curly dark hair. I would have been intimidated by him, if it weren't for his playful brown eyes and deep dimples.

"This is going to sound kind of weird," I started and pointed to the little island just off the coast. "But do you think you could give me a ride to that island over there?"

"And why would you need to get there?" the girl asked me with a cocked eyebrow.

She was gorgeous, and if I had been any less self-assured than I was, my self-esteem would have crumpled. She had long, straight hair that was the same shade as Jasper's. She had his eyes too, but the look she was giving me made her seem much colder, and much more aloof.

"I'm dropping in on my father for a surprise visit," I said and smiled, despite the major bitch face she was directing at me.

It wasn't necessarily a lie. But it's not like I was going to tell these strangers my life story right off the bat.

"Who's your dad?" the girl asked, glaring at me as if daring me to lie.

"Charlie Swan," I answered right away.

"Oh," the blonde boy said. "You're Isabella, aren't you? Charlie talks about you all the time."

"Yes, but please call me Bella," I said easily.

"Well, Bella," the big guy corrected himself. "I'm Emmett, this is Jasper, and that beautiful lady over there is my Rosalie. We're your neighbors, the Cullens."

"It's nice to meet you all," I said, smiling at each of them.

"Nice to meet you too," Emmett and Jasper replied.

Rosalie just looked me up and down and then looked in another direction.

"We'd love to give you a ride to the island," Jasper said and gestured for me to get closer to the boat so they could help me up.

"Thank you so much," I said and dragged my stuff to the boat. I handed Jasper my duffel bag and Emmett my suitcase so that they could get it on board.

As soon as Emmett took the suitcase from me, his eyes widened in surprise. "Holy crap, Bella," he huffed slightly. "What's in here?"

"My entire wardrobe, including shoes and accessories," I responded breezily as I climbed onto the boat.

Rosalie said while eyeing my suitcase and duffel bag, "You must have a small wardrobe. It doesn't look like too much could fit in there."

I grinned, "Actually, you know those space saving bags that are always advertised on TV? I used a ton of them to make all of my stuff fit."

Rosalie's expression morphed into one of mild admiration. "Nice," she simply said then looked away.

Jasper said, clearly amused, "Alice is going to love you."

"Alice?" I asked as he and Emmett prepped the boat.

"Jasper's girlfriend," Emmett answered with a dimpled smile.

"Does she live on the island?" I inquired, setting my purse on the deck.

"She lives with us," Rosalie replied, sounding bored as she examined her nails.

"Huh?" I asked, because I was completely lost. What kind of family lets their son's girlfriend live in their house?

"There are five of us," Emmett explained as he turned the boat on and began navigating our way home. "Seven if you include our adoptive parents, Carlisle and Esme. There's Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, Edward and me. We're all adopted. I'm with Rosalie, and Jasper is with Alice. Edward is… unattached but believes in just having 'fun'." Emmett even made the air-quotes gesture using both his hands, momentarily taking his hands off the wheel.

"Ahh, I see," I said and rolled my eyes. While I didn't necessarily believe in long-term relationships, I also didn't appreciate the way that some guys led girls on to get sex or whatever else they wanted. I sat down on the side of the boat next to Rosalie. She turned to look at me.

"So why are you here?" Rosalie asked bluntly.

"Rose," Jasper admonished.

"What? It's just a question," she said then rolled her eyes. "We've never met her and we've lived at the island for, like, seven years now."

I met Rosalie's eyes and explained, "Charlie has been visiting me in Arizona for the last nine years. He said it was so that I wouldn't have to worry about flying as an unaccompanied minor to and from Arizona. Since he used to be a police officer, he's very protective. He was worried that something would happen to me if I were alone in an airport."

Rosalie nodded, but she was still looking at me like I was hiding something. She didn't question me any further though, so I relaxed against the railing of the boat.

The sun felt so nice on my skin. I was only in a white tank top and colorful capri leggings. I hadn't even thought to change from my gym clothes. It was difficult for me to believe that I had tried to go to the gym just a couple of hours ago.

The sound of a loud motor approaching startled me from my thoughts. Then, a large wave of ocean water pelted the side of the boat, splashing Rosalie and me. We both gasped in surprise. I stood up, Rosalie quickly following me, to find the source of the water.

Looking out onto the water, we saw a lean-muscled guy with golden skin and bronze hair as he rode away on a jet ski.

"Jackass!" we yelled at him at the same time.

We shared an annoyed look, and checked to make sure that we weren't too wet.

"Freakin' Edward," Rosalie complained.

"That was Edward?" I asked and shook my head in annoyance.

"What a douchebag," Rosalie and I said at the same time in the same tone.

We looked at each other then, and Rosalie broke into a smile.

"We're going to get along just fine," she said, nodding in approval.

"Glad to hear it," I smiled back at her.

We saw Jasper and Emmett share a look. Jasper shrugged, and Emmett muttered, "Girls are weird."

Rosalie rolled her eyes at him and I chuckled as we sat down on the dry side of the boat. We all chatted a bit about what there was to do for fun around here, and they invited me to come over to their house and hang out for a bit tomorrow.

It didn't take longer than ten minutes to get to the island, but I already felt like I had a good idea of who Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie were. They seemed like good people to hang around, despite Rosalie taking a little while to warm up to me. Jasper and Rosalie assured me that I'd love Alice too, even though she was a bit much to handle at first.

Once the boys finished docking the boat, Rosalie helped me get my stuff onto the dock. Emmett lugged my suitcase up the stairs, because there's no way anyone else would have been able to do it.

Emmett wasn't kidding when he said they were Charlie's neighbors. They lived in the house right next door to him, so they walked me most of the way to my dad's house.

"Thanks so much for the ride!" I called to them as they walked up the path to their house.

"No problem. See you later, Bells!" Emmett yelled and waved like a little kid as they walked through the front door.

I grinned at his use of a nickname for me already. Then, I steeled myself and walked the rest of the way to Charlie's house. I hadn't been there in almost a decade, but the house hadn't changed at all.

I walked up to the front door, took a deep breath, and then rang the doorbell.

_Please don't let this be a mistake,_ I hoped to myself.

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><p><strong>So I'm making some edits to this story in the hopes of making it better.<strong>

**Let me know what you think!**


	2. Tomorrow's Song

Charlie answered the door, wearing a wife beater and worn jeans. I couldn't help but smile at his confused expression. Then, recognition and disbelief flashed through his eyes and his own face broke into a grin.

"Bells!" he called out in surprise.

I threw my arms around his neck, and we both laughed as we embraced. We hadn't seen each other since last summer. A year may not sound like much, but it certainly felt like it'd been a lifetime since I'd seen my dad.

Once we'd hugged long enough for him to start feeling uncomfortable with the impromptu emotional display, Charlie held me at arm's distance and looked me over while I did the same to him.

"Dad!" I pretended to scold him, but I just wanted to tease him a little. "You gained weight!"

"Thanks, Bella," Charlie replied sarcastically, "It sure warms my heart to know that that's the first thing you thought to say to me after all this time with just phone calls."

"Well, since it's so obvious…" I continued to joke.

Charlie rolled his eyes and pretended to close the door in my face.

"Dad!" I complained, "I was just kidding!"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, opening the door again. "Keep running your mouth and see if I let you inside my house." The twitch of his mustache gave him away, and I knew he was teasing me right back.

I couldn't help it. I reached out to hug him again. "I missed you," I told him softly.

"Missed you too, Bells," he said gruffly.

"So really, how've you been?" I asked with a smile when I let go.

"I've been great," he said and let me into the house, taking my luggage from me and setting it by the staircase.

"How's Victoria?" I questioned while raising my eyebrows.

Charlie hesitated slightly before saying, "She's been great too."

"That's good," I said, a tiny bit puzzled by his hesitation. I wasn't going to call him out on it yet, though.

"How have _you_ been?" Charlie asked then, looking at me piercingly.

His experience as a cop made him extremely observant, so I knew he was watching me very carefully.

"I've been pretty good," I answered semi-truthfully.

"How's Renee?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes at me.

"She's… the same," I replied, hearing my anger at her bleed into my tone of voice.

He sat down on the brown, suede couch in the living room and motioned for me to sit next to him. Once I complied, he turned to me. The set of his eyebrows let me know that I wouldn't be able to get out of this conversation, not that it kept me from trying though.

Charlie said with authority, "Not that I'm not happy to see you, kiddo, but you're going to have to tell me why you just showed up on my doorstep unannounced."

I bit my lip as I considered how I should approach this. I could always just play it off as a meaningless, heated fight. Charlie knew that arguments between Renee and I could get intense. I'd vented to him about her numerous times before.

"The truth, Isabella," he commanded, and I winced at the use of my full name. He only called me that when he meant business.

I looked around the living room to stall and gather my thoughts before answering him. The inside of the house hadn't changed since the last time I'd visited either. The walls were a pastel yellow littered with pictures from over the years, and a large flat-screen TV dominated the wall across from us. The couch we were on was flanked by matching recliners, and there was a coffee table with remotes and magazines between the couch and the TV.

Charlie cleared his throat, redirecting my attention to him.

I looked at him and sighed. "I caught her cheating on James," I confessed.

Charlie breathed deeply then blew it out in a huff. "I'm sorry you saw that, kid."

"It's not even that I saw it, though that was traumatizing too," I shook my head. "It's that she did it in the first place."

"Because James is a good guy who's looked out for you when you really needed it?" Charlie asked, and I nodded.

"Yes, but not just that. When I think of how long it took you to get over her and of all of her previous husbands' reactions to her cheating on them, I get _pissed._ How can she keep making the same terrible decision, knowing how much it'll hurt the person she's supposed to love? And to always expect me to take care of her when things go wrong afterwards? It might sound selfish of me, but it's not fair," I ranted.

"That doesn't sound selfish of _you_," Charlie shook his head. "It's selfish of her to ask you to do that when what happens in her marriage is her responsibility and hers alone."

Charlie then waited for me to get my thoughts and feelings in order. I suspected that he knew there was something else and that even though it was something that didn't matter as much as Renee's infidelity, it still mattered. My suspicion was confirmed when he raised his eyebrows at me, silently telling me to keep going.

"And I almost had a run-in with Jacob and his friends. On the first day of summer vacation. It wasn't that big of a deal, it's just that… If today was any indication of what kind of summer I'd have in Arizona, I didn't want any of it. So I came here," I finally told him.

Charlie replied levelly, "Bells, Renee and I did not raise you to be the kind of person who runs away when things get difficult."

I answered quietly, "I'm just tired, Dad. It's been a long, difficult school year, and if I have to deal with a summer that's just as stressful, I'll lose it."

Charlie nodded, seeing the truth of it in my eyes, then sighed deeply. "Okay. Well, I don't know what to tell you about your mother, kid. She is… something else, and that's not a compliment."

I swallowed the chuckle that threatened to bubble from my throat.

"So if you want to stay here for the summer, it's completely fine with me, and I know it'll be okay with Vic. I'll even talk to your mom and convince her that this is what's best for you, because it sounds like it is." He looked at me and raised his eyebrows again. "I just don't want you to get the idea that it's okay to run from your problems."

I nodded, "I hear you, but I don't think of it as running. I think of it as… taking a break."

Charlie reached over to ruffle my hair, which I glared at him heavily for. He replied, smirking at my glare, "Call it what you want, but your legs must be exhausted from all that running and swimming in da Nile." He purposely pronounced the last two words to sound like "denial."

"You're such a _dad_," I teased about his lame joke.

"Don't sass me when I'm teaching you a life lesson, kid," he warned jokingly.

"Okay, okay," I said as I backed off anyway.

After a quiet moment, I stood up from the couch.

"If you don't mind, I'm just going to get settled," I said to my dad, even as I squeezed past him to get to my luggage at the bottom of the stairs.

"Bella," Charlie called and I looked over at him. He seemed to struggle with something but then asked, "How'd you get to the island?"

"Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie Cullen offered to take me here on their boat," I answered but I couldn't resist joking again. "Thank goodness that they asked me if I needed a lift or I would've ruined your amazing surprise."

Charlie rolled his eyes at me then said, "That was nice of them. The Cullens are good people."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I noticed."

He seemed to struggle with something again, but then shook his head, as if to clear it. "Your room is still the same," he finally said and nodded upstairs.

"Thanks, Charlie," I said and grabbed my luggage before walking up the stairs.

"It's 'Dad' to you, kiddo!" he called up the stairs after me.

I chuckled a little at him and then moved into my room.

The room, much like the rest of the house, hadn't changed a bit. The walls were a soft pink, covered with drawings from when I was 8. My bed was a twin with a purple princess comforter. Pale yellow curtains covered the window, and I opened them up to allow more light into the room. I looked at the side of the window, smiling as I saw my growth chart still penciled into the wall.

Looking outside of my window, I noticed that, past the large tree, I could see into a room of the Cullen's house. Briefly, I wondered whose window it was but then shrugged it off. I got to work unpacking all of my stuff while I listened to my music on shuffle.

It took me a while to hang up and organize all my stuff. When I was finally done, I was more exhausted than I thought I'd be. I had only planned on resting on the bed for a moment and was successful at first.

But once I heard the first couple of notes of Tomorrow's Song by Olafur Arnalds, sleep started tugging at my eyes. I had enough time to wonder why the song sounded so sad, if it was supposed to be looking forward to tomorrow, before I knocked out.

The next thing I knew, someone was shaking my shoulder to wake me up. I looked up and saw that it was Charlie, smiling kindly at me.

"What's up, Dad?" I asked sleepily, rubbing my eyes.

"The Cullens invited us over for dinner, and we're already twenty minutes late," Charlie answered as he straightened up. "Victoria is going to meet us there a little later."

"Okay," I said and sat up in bed. "I'll be right down. I'll just get ready."

He left my room and I went to the bathroom. I washed my face and then examined myself in the bathroom mirror to check if I looked presentable enough. My hair had been up in a messy bun while I slept. I let it down so that it fell in large waves, stopping two inches below my bust. It was just a shade or two lighter than chestnut-colored and streaked with caramel and copper highlights.

My skin had a light tan, which was a huge step up from the shade of porcelain it was before I joined the swim team two years ago. My eyes were big, brown, and round, framed with long, dark eyelashes, and I had a straight nose and full, pink lips.

I recognized that, physically, I'd inherited just about everything from my mom, save my eyes and height. There was no mistaking that my eyes were identical to Charlie's, and at 5'8", there was no way that I'd gotten my height from my mom, who stood at 5'5". Although I outwardly took after Renee, I had definitely inherited most of my personality traits from Charlie, such as my sense of humor and temperament.

Shaking myself from my musings, I rummaged through my closet and found tight black, high-waist shorts and paired it with a loose floral tank top. I tucked the top into my shorts and then chose to wear a thin, beige cardigan over it. In any other situation, I probably would have worn a pair of wedges with the outfit but since we were just heading next door, I decided to wear dark brown gladiator sandals.

I took about twenty minutes to get ready and then ran downstairs to meet up with Charlie in the living room.

"Bella, before we go, I have to tell you someth-" Charlie started but I shook my head.

"Tell me later," I insisted. "We're already super late."

I took his hand and started pulling him to the door.

"Last I checked, you were about to turn 18 years old. Why are you tugging on my hand like you're 8?" Charlie joked as we started towards the Cullen's house.

I rolled my eyes and shot back, "You're moving too slow, old man."

"Hey, now that is just uncalled for. I'll remind you of that comment when you turn 36 and see how you like it," he retorted.

Charlie knocked and the door was thrown open by Emmett, cutting off my snarky response to my dad. When Emmett saw me, his face lit up.

"Bells!" he yelled and then proceeded to grab me, pick me up, pull me inside the house, and crush me to his chest all at once.

"It's cool to see you again, Bells!" Emmett yelled and squeezed harder.

"Emmett," I gasped. "It's nice to see you again too. But… you're cracking my ribs."

"Oh," he said, letting me down. "Right. Sorry."

I put my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath.

"Hello, Bella," Jasper said with a chuckle.

"Hi, Jasper," I said with a wave, straightening up once I'd regained my breath.

Emmett was standing next to Rosalie, his arms around her shoulders.

"Hey, Rosalie," I smiled at her and she gave me a genuine smile back.

I was glad that it seemed like she'd stuck by her belief that we'd get along. I looked to Jasper then, who was smirking and standing next to a petite, pixie-like girl who couldn't stop bouncing in place.

There was also a couple, both around Charlie's age, standing by the entrance to what I guessed was the dining room, and next to the stairs was a bronze-haired boy, who I assumed was Edward. He was staring intently at me, which I ignored.

Since I'd seen them earlier, I knew Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie were attractive, but I was still struck by how beautiful all of the Cullens were.

_How did they do that? _I wondered to myself.

"God, you're all so pretty. What is in your water?" I blurted unintentionally then decided to go with it. "And where can I get some?" I joked and then started laughing at the way Charlie snorted at my sad attempt at a first impression.

"Excuse my daughter, please," he said, shaking his head teasingly at me. "She just woke up, which is why we're so late and why her verbal filter hasn't kicked in yet."

"Wait, no, let's go back to what I was saying for a moment," I said through my giggles. "I mean, really, all of you are so good-looking. There's no way that just happened! It's statistically improbable! You're either pumping your water with something or you're hiding a less-attractive relative somewhere."

"You're right," Emmett said so solemnly that I immediately sobered. "We have another adopted sibling, but he's so self-conscious about the way he looks that he doesn't really come out when others are over. He was teased so much in school that he had to drop out and be home schooled. Ever since, he's been crippled with insecurity. It's actually a really touchy subject for all of us, which is why I didn't mention him earlier."

My face froze in horror as I tried to figure out a way to take back everything I said. Then Emmett burst into laughter, the rest of the Cullens and Charlie joining in at my expense, and I realized he'd been messing with me.

"You suck!" I accused Emmett, pointing a finger at him in indignation. "That wasn't nice!"

"Aw, come on, Bells," Jasper came to his brother's aid. "He was just trying to get you to stop running your mouth to keep you from embarrassing yourself even further."

"And it's not my fault you're so gullible," Emmett teased.

I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at them, making everyone laugh again.

Mr. and Mrs. Cullen moved towards me, and I started to get a little nervous. I hoped I hadn't accidentally offended them with how much I'd been joking around.

Mr. Cullen had golden, corn silk-colored hair arranged carefully so that not a single hair was out of place, intelligent blue eyes, and a genuine smile. Mrs. Cullen's caramel hair brushed her shoulders when she walked. She had green eyes that shone with kindness and a warm, motherly smile.

For a quick moment, my heart ached to have a mother like Esme; a woman who so obviously oozed maternal instinct, kindness, and understanding. But it passed as soon as it flared up.

"Isabella," Mrs. Cullen said, reaching out to hold one of my hands in both of hers. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Charlie and Victoria talk about you all the time, and they only ever have wonderful things to say. You're even lovelier than the pictures Charlie showed us."

I blushed a little in response to her praise. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Cullen, and please call me Bella," I said sincerely. "It's wonderful to meet you."

"None of that Mrs. Cullen nonsense," Mrs. Cullen waved her hand at me. "Please call me Esme. And this is my husband, Carlisle."

Mr. Cullen stepped forward and I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Cullen," I said.

"Please call me Carlisle," he smiled and his blue eyes sparkled in humor with what he was going to say next. He even delivered his quip with a quick wink. "And to answer your question about how we're all good-looking, Esme and I just know how to pick 'em." There was another round of laughter at his words.

The pixie flitted up to me next and smiled, her grace reminding me of a ballerina. Her straight black hair was styled in a long bob, reaching just halfway down her slender neck. She had big, gray eyes, thin lips and a small nose that upturned slightly at the end.

"Hi, I'm Alice," she chirped. "I adore your outfit! It's cute, but casual and comfortable!" She was wearing a strapless, cream-colored jumpsuit with a black belt tight around her waist.

"Hi, Alice," I said, matching her enthusiasm. "I love your outfit too!"

She hugged me, much to my surprise, and said, "We're going to be great friends, especially if you like to dress pretty every day." I only laughed in response, finally understanding what Jasper and Rosalie had meant about Alice being a bit much at first.

As Esme started to usher everyone into the dining room, the only Cullen I hadn't met then started sauntering to me. He literally sauntered, forcing me to try not to chuckle.

"I'm Edward," he said when he was a foot away from me then grinned. Everyone else had already gone to the dining room, so we were alone.

As I looked at him up close, I had to admit that he was _very_ handsome. His bronze hair was artfully messy, like he'd run his hands through it too many times. His eyes reminded me of emeralds because they were such a vivid green. His aquiline nose, full bottom lip and spare upper lip, and height made me certain that it was easy for him to catch a girl's eye.

"Ah, yes. _You're_ the one that doused Rosalie and me with water while your siblings were giving me a ride to the island," I replied with a raised eyebrow.

He grinned and shrugged, "In my defense, I was aiming for Rose."

I rolled my eyes at him, but he ignored that. "So you think we're all good-looking, huh?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and I fought to hold onto my laughter.

"You know, if we were adding something to the water here, you wouldn't need a single drop. You're gorgeous enough on your own," he said and moved closer to me. This time I couldn't hold it in. I burst into laughter and surprise crossed his face.

"Oh, you are going to have to try _so_ much harder than that if you want to have even an inkling of a chance with me," I told him. Then, I reached up to pat his cheek with my next statement, "Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a terrible attempt at all. I'm just a lot smarter than the girls I'm sure you're used to."

Leaving him standing there in confusion, I followed the path I'd seen everyone else take a minute earlier. Everyone else had already sat down at the table so there were only three seats left open. One was next to Charlie, which I assumed was for Victoria, and then the other two were next to each other. I sat down so that Alice was on my right and Charlie was across from me. A moment after I sat down, Edward followed into the dining room and sat to my left.

Before we dug in, Esme and Carlisle had us say grace while holding hands. After the prayer was over, Edward held onto my hand longer than was necessary and I gave him a stern look, which prompted him to let go. Beside me, Alice started to snicker and I shrugged when Edward glared at me.

Alice leaned in to whisper, "He's not used to getting rejected."

"Well, he better get used to it, because that's the only reaction he's going to get if he continues to hit on me," I whispered back and then winked at her with a grin.

While I piled mashed potatoes onto my plate next to my salad, the doorbell rang and Carlisle excused himself to go answer it. I had just taken a bite of food and started to compliment Esme on what an incredible cook she was when Victoria walked in, holding a baby in her arms.

I stopped mid-sentence, causing everyone else at the table to stare at me as I gazed at the baby. The baby opened its eyes and met my stare, cooing in the way that only babies can and reaching towards me with chubby arms. Something was disconcerting about the baby's eyes, but I couldn't pinpoint what was bothering me.

"Bella," Victoria said as shock colored her tone.

I jumped a bit in my seat when I realized that my own eyes, Charlie's eyes, were staring back at me.

* * *

><p><strong>So there's chapter 2!<strong>

**Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it :)**


	3. Stop This Train

Okay, so it was more than a jump in my seat. I was so shocked that I shot to my feet and my head whipped to stare at my father.

"Dad?" I asked incredulously.

"B-Bella," he stuttered and stood as well.

However, I was already backing away from the table and shaking my head.

"Isabella, please don't walk away from me," Charlie pleaded.

"This was a mistake," I muttered then ran out of the Cullen's house and kept running.

Pretty quickly, I came across the other end of the island because the damn thing was a lot tinier than it looked. I paced along the sturdy white fence that cordoned off the edge of the cliff for a couple of moments before deciding to walk down the stairs to the dock.

After I briefly considered dipping my feet in the ocean, I decided I didn't trust the look of the dark water and sat in the middle of the boardwalk. I pulled my knees to my chest and let my mind race, asking why Charlie would neglect to tell me that I had a sibling.

_The baby might only be half-related to me but still, I deserve to know that my father finally decided to start a family with Victoria, right? What if he had chosen to start a new family and only focus on them instead of trying to stay in contact with me? _

_What if he didn't want the baby to know about the daughter that he had with his unfaithful first wife? I mean, he didn't just leave Renee when he walked away after finding out about her affair. He left me too. What if he's just finally finishing what he'd started all those years ago? What if my dad doesn't want me anymore?_

_Or was it something I'd done? Was it all the trouble I got into at school? Could I have done anything to make Charlie feel like he could have told me?_ _What if he thought I didn't care enough about him because I never bothered to visit him here in California? Or is that why he didn't tell me, because he thought I'd never find out? _And the questions just kept coming.

Much later, I realized that the baby was why Charlie had been acting so weird since I'd gotten here. He had tried to tell me, before I went upstairs to unpack and before I dragged him to the Cullen's house. I'm sure that if I'd given him a chance to talk to me before we went to dinner, he would have told me.

The more I thought about it, the more I calmed down until I finally decided that I should return to Charlie's house. When I tried the doorknob, I found it unlocked. I opened the door to find Charlie pacing around inside the living room while Victoria sat on the couch with the baby.

I didn't even know if the baby was a girl or a boy and that made me infinitely sad.

Charlie immediately wheeled to face me and then said furiously, "Where the hell have you been? You've had us worried sick!"

Defensiveness welled in my chest, morphing into anger in an instant, as I yelled back, "We're on a freaking _island. _Where could I have gone? And you have no right to be angry at me anyhow!"

"Oh, I definitely do, kid! Were you paying any attention at all to our talk about not running away from your problems? And I guess I can understand needing some space, but you didn't even have the decency to tell us how much time you needed so we wouldn't worry?" he retorted.

I shook my head bitterly and pushed past him. "Oh, right, because you're totally in a position to preach to me about having the decency to tell people things."

He visibly blanched and I continued to stride angrily to my room.

"Don't walk away from me, Isabella Marie Swan!" Charlie shouted.

I paused on my way up the stairs to face my father and yelled back, "Or what, Charlie? You'll send me back to Renee? Well, that would just be an _awfully_ convenient excuse to get me out of the way so you can be happy with your new family, wouldn't it?"

It was evident that I'd struck a nerve with him. His face turned a dangerous shade of red and he strode purposefully towards me.

"How could you say that to me?" Charlie seethed, but I couldn't help but notice the heavy undercurrent of hurt in his voice.

In the very, very back of my mind I knew I should stop arguing, that I should just let him explain, but I could barely see past my anger, much less move past it. I continued up the stairs and he followed closely behind me.

Charlie prompted, obviously agitated, "I'd like an answer."

I stepped inside my room and then whirled around to face Charlie, keeping him from entering. I argued, "I said it because that's what it looks like. I mean, not telling me that you had another kid? How could that have possibly seemed right to you, if you really did want me to be a part of your life?"

Charlie sighed. "I… I swear that I was going to tell you but either I wasn't sure when the right time would be, I didn't know how to tell you, or something interrupted me before I could."

I scoffed, "So in the 9 months that your wife was pregnant and in the time following the baby's birth, you couldn't figure out a single way to tell me?"

"When you put it that way…" Charlie grumbled.

"Yeah, sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?" I prompted.

"Kid, I'm _sorry_. I told your mom a few weeks ago and I assumed she would tell you when she told you about her pregnancy, but when it was obvious that she didn't tell you anything about your brother, I just didn't know what to do," he explained.

I froze to process what he'd just said.

"Her pregnancy?" I whispered.

His eyes widened in surprise and then I exploded.

"So both you and Renee neglected to tell me that I wouldn't have just one sibling, but two?" I shouted.

Charlie flinched again and said softly, "Bella-"

I cut him off by slamming the door in his face and quickly locking it. He knocked loudly and called my name a couple of times, telling me to open the door and talk to him. When I told him to leave me alone, he started banging on the door in earnest and shouting at me.

"Go away, Charlie! Please! You'll wake the baby with all the noise you're making!" I sneered.

He finally gave up, and I heard his heavy footsteps slowly fade as he left to give me space. I paced around my room for a few minutes, trying to make sense of what Charlie told me. I spied my phone charging on the desk and rushed to get it and dial her number.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on," I muttered repeatedly as the phone rang.

"Hello?" I heard my mother ask.

"You're pregnant?" I spat angrily.

"I… Bella, is that you?" she asked nervously.

I huffed and paced my room some more. "No, it's your other child calling you from the womb," I said sarcastically. "Yes, it's Bella. Now answer the question, please!"

"I… Bella… Yeah, I am," she finished lamely.

"And you didn't think that was something that I'd like to know?" I questioned.

"Sweetie, no, that's not it. I was meaning to tell you about my pregnancy and about Charlie's son but-" she tried to explain but I cut her off.

"No, I've heard enough excuses for one night. I have to go, Renee. I'll call you back when I'm ready," I snapped then hung up.

My phone rang as she called back, and I let it go to voicemail. After the fifth time she called, I turned my phone off and paced around my room like a caged tiger. I hoped it would help relieve at least some of my frustration.

When that didn't work, I flopped onto my bed, opened my laptop, and played soothing music to help calm me down. Stop This Train by John Mayer was the first song to play, and I tried to focus all of my attention on the song rather than the way my pulse still pounded, fueled by the remaining anger and betrayal I felt.

"Stop this train, I wanna get off and go home again. I can't take the speed it's moving in. I know I can't. But honestly, won't someone stop this train?" John Mayer crooned, and I had to stop the music.

It described my feelings so well, except for the fact that I didn't really have a home to escape to. Home was supposed to be a safe place where you were loved, trusted, and supported and did that for everyone else in the family. Arizona hadn't felt safe in months, and California sure as hell didn't fit the description either.

I could feel my anger mounting again and knew I needed to get out of the room. I felt trapped. I knew Charlie wouldn't let me out of the house again, so my eyes moved to the tree outside my window.

Opening the window and leaning out of it, I examined the tree. Most of its branches were as thin as one of my calves, so they didn't seem strong. But it had a decent number of thick branches that looked sturdy enough to withstand my weight, so I decided it was worth a shot.

I sat on the windowsill first with my legs hanging outside of the window. There was a thick branch right by my ankle. Extending my leg to reach the branch, I tested it by pressing down on it as hard as I could with my foot. It didn't budge, so I assumed it was okay.

Reaching out with my hands to hang onto the branch above me, I placed one foot on the branch by my foot and rested my weight on it. The branch was strong so I put my other foot on it and moved closer to the trunk of the tree.

I looked down and the next branch I saw that looked strong enough to hold my weight was too far down for comfort. I looked around the tree for an easier one to get to and found one closer to the side of the Cullen's house. I let go of the branch above me and crouched so that I could hold onto the branch I was currently standing on. I moved my right leg to the next branch and tested its sturdiness.

When I was satisfied, I kept my right leg there, shifted my weight to that branch, then maneuvered myself so that I was standing on that one. It was a pretty slow process, but I'd rather be careful than give Charlie another reason to ship me back to Arizona.

The sound of a gruff voice calling my name made me freeze. I looked up in fear, worried that Charlie had caught me sneaking out. There was no one leaning out of any of the windows on the side of Charlie's house though, so I looked to the Cullen's house.

I rolled my eyes when I saw Edward smirking down at me while leaning out of the window right across from mine.

_I'm way too irritated to deal with this idiot_, I thought meanly.

"You could have made me fall," I pointed out to him.

"Nah, you've got a good grip on the trunk and your footing is stable," he disagreed.

I ignored him, looking for my next branch. This one was as thick as my thigh, so it was much thinner than the ones I'd used so far. I thought it'd be okay, so I tested it. When I felt that it could hold my weight, I moved to it but kept a really strong hold on the branch above me, just in case it gave.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked, leaning to rest his elbow on the windowsill and rest his chin in his hand.

"Pretending to be a spider monkey," I answered sarcastically. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Instead of answering me, he pointed at the branch I was reaching to test with my leg. "You don't want to step there," he warned me, but I thought it looked fine.

"Why not?" I challenged him then tested the branch anyway, giving it a strong push with my leg. A sharp cracking sound filled the air and I felt the branch give way quite a bit, making me almost lose my footing on the branch I was standing on. I couldn't help but squeak a curse in response.

"That's why," he responded, the amusement clear in his tone.

I breathed deeply, clenching my jaw to keep from yelling at him. "I might actually hate you," I admitted to him.

Edward chuckled, "You don't know me well enough to hate me."

I didn't respond right away, trying to find a better branch. I started to reach for another one when Edward spoke up again.

"No, no," he shook his head. "Use the branch to its left, about a foot down."

"I may not know you personally, but I know your type, Edward Cullen," I finally responded while trying to find the branch he was talking about. "And no, that branch is too far!"

"You can reach it," he encouraged me. "Hug the trunk and slide down so that you're sitting on the branch you're standing on right now." I did as he said and then he continued coaching me, "Good. Now extend one of your legs." I complied but it still felt a little too far.

As if he could sense my doubt, he prodded me again, "Just a little further." Wrapping one arm around the trunk to anchor me, I scooted so that my butt was closer to the edge of the branch. I was able to reach the branch as a result and shimmied down to it. I was a little more than halfway to the ground now.

"Thanks," I told him and he nodded.

"I hope you know that I don't have a type," he told me, a cocky smile on his pretty face. "I'm one of a kind."

I barked a short laugh in response. "Ha! Stop kidding yourself, Cullen. Emmett hinted a little about you, and I was able to piece the rest together with how you act. You're definitely part of a type, the type of guy who knows how attractive he is, will do anything and everything to get laid, and doesn't take much seriously."

He was quiet for a moment. I looked for another branch and found it just as Edward pointed it out to me.

I moved down a couple more feet before he finally said something. "You sound like you have personal experience with a person of that type," he said, studying my face intently.

I wondered if it was that obvious that I had but kept my face neutral when I answered. "As much as I'd love to spill my life story to a stranger, I have more pressing issues to deal with."

"By sneaking out and running away?" Edward asked and I sighed.

"I'm not running away," I replied. "I just need to be able to think in a space where I'm not so cooped up."

Edward remained quiet and I stopped looking at him to focus on finishing my climb down. Minutes later, I hung by a strong branch and then dropped to the ground. I had just turned around to return to the dock where I'd been thinking earlier when movement in the tree caught my attention. I looked back at the tree and found Edward climbing down quickly.

What had taken me almost ten minutes barely took him two.

"How-?" I asked when he stood in front of me, grinning.

"Lots of practice," he admitted and his grin turned into a cocky smirk.

"Ah," I said, realizing he probably snuck out often to meet up with girls.

"Let's go," he said, but I just looked at him.

"What makes you think I want to go _anywhere_ with you?" I asked, my eyebrows raised.

"Oh, come on. We're stuck on an island. How much trouble can I get you into?" he reasoned, gesturing for me to follow him with his hand. "I promise it'll make you feel better. Just trust me."

I looked at him doubtfully.

_I don't trust him_, I thought. _But what if it turns out to be a decent distraction?_

I studied him, looking for a sign that this was some ploy to get into my pants or a trick to kick me while I'm down.

He was smiling at me, but it was different from earlier. It wasn't the confident smirk he gave me when he hit on me and it wasn't the teasing grin he wore when he helped me climb down the tree. It was a gentle, genuine smile, with the left corner of his mouth pulling just a bit higher than the right corner. And his eyes… god, they were gorgeous. They were even brighter than they'd been earlier.

Nothing about him suggested he was being insincere, but I'd thought the very same thing about Jacob. Thinking about how badly I'd been hurt, I knew I had to walk away from Edward, even as my gut twisted the tiniest bit at the thought of saying no.

Seeing how much I struggled with the decision, Edward ran his hands through his hair nervously.

"Please?" he asked again, holding his hand out to me.

The plea in his voice and the sincerity in his eyes helped me make my decision before I was aware of it. I reached out to place my hand in his and let him lead me in the direction of the other houses. When we got to the house on the other side of the Cullen's place, Edward started towards the gate to its backyard.

"Wait," I stopped abruptly. "I'm not about to trespass on someone else's property."

"It's not trespassing when I have permission," Edward shook his head. "The people who own the house are on vacation. They asked my siblings and I to check in on the house every so often, and they said it was okay if we wanted to use their backyard to swim or chill. It's fine."

I accepted his explanation and followed him past the gate and down the path to the expansive backyard. On the far side of the backyard, there was a big, kidney-shaped swimming pool. Next to it was a large trampoline, and on the side closest to us, a playground was set up in a really, really big sandbox. The apparatus was complete with monkey bars, swings, and even a couple of slides.

As soon as I saw the swings, I pulled my hand out of Edward's and made straight for them. I heard him chuckle at my excitement, but he didn't say anything else.

I sat in the swing and took off my sandals, tossing them to the side and burying my toes in the soft sand. Edward came to stand behind me. Without having to ask him, he gave me a couple of firm pushes to get me started. My skin tingled where he pressed his warm hands into my back, and I convinced myself that it was just because I was excited about the swing. After one last big push, he moved to sit in the swing next to me.

I kept swinging my legs back and forth, trying to reach higher and higher. The wind whipping past my face felt incredible, and my stomach jumped a little every time I reached the peak of my swing. I kept my head tilted back so I could watch the stars, and it made me feel giddy and free, like I was flying. The swinging, the stars, and the distant sound of waves crashing on the beach helped me feel… at peace.

After a while, I stopped swinging my legs and slowly came to a stop. When I was no longer in motion, I turned to face Edward. He was swinging in more of a gentle, rocking motion, and his eyes were directed at the sky. It was clear that he was lost in his own thoughts, so I felt a little guilty for interrupting him. But I felt that I needed to express my gratitude before I chickened out.

"Thank you for this," I said quietly, loving that my thoughts no longer felt so turbulent.

"I figured you needed it kind of desperately, if the shouting I heard from your house was any indication," Edward shrugged it off, but I could tell by the slight fall of his shoulders that he'd been relieved at my statement.

We were quiet for a couple of moments, just looking at the stars. The silence was surprisingly comfortable, and I found myself the most relaxed I'd been all day.

Edward spoke suddenly, turning to me. "Charlie may have screwed up, but he really loves you, you know."

I closed my eyes, desperately trying to hold onto the calm I'd found instead of devolving into the mess I was earlier. "As much as I appreciate you taking me here, it doesn't quite give you a free pass to say whatever you want to me, and I'm declaring the subject of my parents off limits," I warned him.

Edward kept pushing, "But you didn't see how _upset_ he was after you took off. He looked like he was about to cry, and the man didn't even blink the time he accidentally shattered his thumb when he was hanging up pictures in his living room. Parents who don't give a shit… they don't beg you not to leave and they sure as hell don't react like that when you walk away."

The tension in his voice during his last statement made me turn to him, and I looked at him carefully.

"You're talking from experience," I stated, and his hands clenched around the chains of the swing in response, confirming my statement.

"Carlisle and Esme didn't seem-" I started and he cut me off with a harsh glare.

"I wasn't talking about them," he snapped. "I'm lucky they took me in."

I realized that he'd been talking about his birth parents and resisted the urge to ask. It was obviously a touchy subject. I kept quiet, deciding that I'd hear him out since it was obviously what he'd been lost in thought about.

"I just think you'd be stupid to screw up a relationship with a good parent who obviously cares about you, just because of one mistake," Edward finally said.

I opened my mouth to say something but he cut me off, "And I know Charlie messed up big time, not telling you about Embry. But do you think that maybe he didn't tell you because he was scared you'd react like this?"

My jaw snapped shut and I sighed, "The only reason I'm pissed is because Charlie waited so long to tell me."

"Does he know that?" Edward asked.

Going over my argument with Charlie, I realized that I never explicitly said why I was so upset. My silence was his answer.

"Because after you ditched dinner, we all overhead Charlie telling Vicky that he thought you were going to cut him out of your life for starting a family with her," he said next, making my heart clench.

"That's not- I wouldn't-," I stuttered then stopped to take deep breaths.

"You should tell him that tomorrow, after you ask him why he didn't tell you," he suggested.

I cursed under my breath as I hunched over to rest my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. In my heart, I knew that Edward was right. I also knew that I would never have been able to come to that conclusion on my own because learning about my brother the way that I did had caused my insecurity to short-circuit my sense of logic. I contemplated everything Edward had said and had to fight tears when I realized how much my words had probably hurt my dad.

"God, I'm such a bitch," I groaned, shaking my head.

Edward chuckled, "I can't exactly argue with that at the moment, seeing as how you've been snapping at me all night when I'm just trying to help."

"It's been a crazy day, okay? It's not much of an excuse, but I promise I'm not usually so awful," I tried to defend myself.

Edward and I enjoyed a couple of moments of comfortable silence, before I straightened up and studied his face.

"Why did you do this?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

"Do what? Help you remove your head from your ass? To prove you wrong about me being part of a type, of course," he teased.

"Shut up while you're ahead," I warned him jokingly.

He chuckled and then grew very serious. When he spoke next, his voice sounded almost tortured, as if he'd spent a long time beating himself up for his past. "When I first came here to live with Carlisle and Esme, I thought they'd be like all the foster parents I'd had before. So I did a couple of shitty things to see if I'd be able to fast forward to the part where they gave me back to the system."

Edward sighed deeply, "Charlie could have gone straight to Carlisle and Esme, or even the cops. Instead, he straightened me out and kept me from messing up with them. I owe him everything for that, so I figured that knocking some sense into his daughter would be a nice start to paying him back."

We were quiet for a long time. The truth was evident in Edward's voice and expression. He hadn't gone into too much detail, but I was grateful for what he shared and for proving that my first impression of him was wrong. I wasn't excited to admit it, but he deserved to hear it after everything he'd done for me tonight.

"You're not as bad as I thought you were," I admitted to him grudgingly.

"Aha! You're starting to like me," Edward taunted.

"Not a chance," I declared with a firm shake of my head, though the smirk I wore betrayed my words.

Silence returned. I was glad that I knew how to fix things with Charlie, and I even started to plan how I'd apologize. I still didn't know what to do about Renee, because she was a whole other issue. She didn't have the same excuse that Charlie had. Instead of stressing about it, I pushed her to the back of my mind.

After I yawned twice in a row, I figured it was time to head back. I stood up from the swing and pulled on my sandals. Edward followed, and we walked back to our houses side by side, the sound of the ocean filling the silence between us. We stood in front of the tree separating our houses and turned to face each other.

"I don't really know how I can thank you enough," I said sincerely.

"I can think of a few ways…" he said, his voice full of innuendo.

I slapped his shoulder and told him, "Don't even start."

"I'll wear you down someday," he promised.

"Not going to happen," I warned him flatly, then gestured to the tree.

"What?" he asked innocently, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Go first," I commanded.

"Why me?"

"I don't want you staring at my ass!"

"Well, what if I don't want you looking at mine?"

"I'm not going to look," I rolled my eyes.

"You won't be able to resist."

"I think I have enough self-control."

"You doubt the power of my ass," he waggled his eyebrows.

"I honestly think you're over exaggerating how great your ass is."

"I'm honestly not."

"Please, Edward?" I finally asked. "I don't know what branches to use to climb back up. I'd rather watch you do it than have you coach me from below."

"Okay, okay," he caved.

He stretched his arms up and grabbed the lowest branch easily, pulling himself up smoothly. I tried to do the same but I was a couple of inches too short. He crouched and then reached down to offer me his hand.

"No, thanks," I waved him off. "I've got it."

I jumped and was able to grab hold of the branch. I pulled myself up just as smoothly as Edward had and the appreciative glance he sent my way told me that he was impressed. I thought he would say something, but he just reached up and started climbing.

When I looked up to follow his lead, I couldn't help but notice his butt. And as much as I hated to admit it, he was right. It _was_ pretty spectacular. I gave it an appreciative nod before focusing on following his motions. It didn't take nearly as long to climb up as it did to climb down.

When I was safely back inside my room, I rested my forearms on the windowsill, leaned on them, and smiled at Edward, who copied my stance.

"Thank you again," I told Edward. "For putting up with me snapping at you, setting me straight, telling me part of your story, the swings… for all of it, really."

Redness bloomed in his cheeks and ears, and I was happier than I should have been at the thought that I made Edward Cullen blush. "It was, uh, no big deal," Edward replied and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Night, Edward," I told him then moved to pull my window closed.

"Hey, Bella?" Edward called and I stopped to look at him curiously. At first, he seemed very serious, but the corner of his lips twitched, giving him away. "You totally stared at my ass."

My eyes widened, and I felt my cheeks warm with a blush. How had he seen that? He had clearly been looking up, focused on climbing the tree.

"You're ridiculous," I tried to play it off, but Edward ignored me.

"You think I have a great ass," he boasted.

"I've seen better," I claimed, shrugging him off.

"Ha! You didn't deny it!"

"I repeat, you're ridiculous," I declared.

"Does this mean I'm wearing you down?"

"Not even a little bit," I asserted, but I felt the corners of my mouth curve upward, trying to stretch into a smirk.

Before Edward could say anything else, I pulled my window shut, waved, and then closed my curtains. I changed into pajamas and crawled into bed. It had been an exhausting day, but I was comforted by the fact that I knew what to do about Charlie. I fell asleep quickly, promising myself that I'd make things better tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong>That was chapter 3!<strong>

**This was where it really diverged from Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater. So to my old readers, I hope you enjoyed the change, and to my new readers, I hope it wasn't a horrible direction to steer the story in.**

**I don't know about you, but I like that we see a different side of Edward right away. After all, Bella needed someone to set her straight. **

**The chapters have been longer than they were when this was CCPE, but I'm not sure how long that will last. It'll depend on the content, I guess!**

**Alrighty, well, I hope you enjoyed it! **

**As always, thanks for reading :)**


	4. What Makes You Beautiful

I woke up very early the next morning to the chirping of my phone's alarm. I rolled over to turn it off then buried my face in my pillow. I entertained the idea of going back to sleep, at least until the sun rose, but I knew I had to get started on my peace offering to Charlie.

I rolled out of bed with a small groan then quickly did my morning routine. After I finished in the bathroom, I quietly trekked downstairs to the kitchen. I checked the refrigerator and pantry for all of the ingredients I needed.

I was lucky that Charlie was a man of simple pleasures. He didn't ask for things often, and when he did, it wasn't for much. Most of the time, he just wanted a special home cooked lunch or dinner. I was also fortunate that Charlie and Vicky had to keep their kitchen well-stocked, since it was a pain to have to go to the grocery store more than once a month.

I planned on making some of his favorite dishes for dinner, including pulled pork sandwiches, sweet cola beef ribs, garlic mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese. I also wanted to make fresh strawberry pie for dessert. The dishes weren't that difficult to make, but the meat required a lot of prep time, which was why I was up so early.

I gathered all of the ingredients I needed and placed them on the island. Pausing my preparation for a moment, I played music from my phone quietly in the background so that I could sing and dance a little as I flitted around the kitchen.

Before I knew it, the sky lightened as the sun prepared to breach the horizon. I paused, checking if there was anything left to do. Both the ribs and pork shoulder had been seasoned and dry rubbed according to their respective recipes and were marinating in the fridge. I had already made the two different sauces, the barbecue sauce for the ribs and the vinegar-based sauce for the pork shoulder.

Seeing that there was nothing else I could do until much later, I put away the ingredients I used and then started on breakfast. I brewed a pot of coffee first, since I was in desperate need of caffeine. Then I scrambled eggs and made hash browns. Soon after I started the bacon, I heard Charlie and Vicky descend the stairs in silence.

I immediately tensed, suddenly fearing the worst.

_What If they decided that it would be best for me to go back to Arizona? What if they didn't forgive me for how I acted? What if they didn't even give me a chance to explain? _I wondered frantically.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, moved the finished bacon to a serving plate, and added more bacon to the pan. When I heard Charlie and Vicky step into the kitchen, I turned around.

Charlie was staring at the ground while Vicky stood to his side, holding Embry in her arms. It was quiet for a few moments, the sound of the oil popping in the frying pan filling the empty air between us. Charlie finally looked up at me, and the guilt and sorrow in his eyes mirrored my own.

"I'm sorry," I blurted. "I should have let you talk to me before we went to the Cullen's place, and I shouldn't have overreacted when I found out about Embry. I should have stayed and talked to you and I definitely shouldn't have said any of those horrible things and-"

Charlie interrupted the next part of my apology by striding up to me and wrapping me in a tight hug. "Bumblebee, I'm the one who should be sorry. I should have told you about your brother a lot sooner. You were right; there's no excuse for you to have found out the way that you did." I had to fight the sob that threatened to wrack my chest when he called me by my childhood nickname. He hadn't called me that since before the divorce.

He pulled away and looked at me squarely in the eyes. "Now, I definitely didn't appreciate you talking to me the way that you did and slamming your door in my face, but what hurt the most was you thinking that I didn't want you to be a part of my life. Where the hell did that come from, Bella?"

I paused and really thought about it. If I looked back far enough, I thought I could trace it back to the fact that Charlie left. Renee had broken his heart, so I didn't blame him for leaving her. But for a long time, I blamed Charlie for leaving _me_. As much as I loved Renee when she wasn't making questionable decisions in her love life, living with her had forced me to grow up really quickly. There were many times when I wished that Charlie had at least tried to fight for me.

That's why I started calling him Charlie, to punish him for leaving. Then by the time I was finished being angry, I had gotten so used to calling him Charlie that I still had trouble remembering to call him dad. I didn't want to admit that to him though. I'd already hurt him enough, and he had more than made up for not being physically present in my life by being there for me emotionally.

Instead, I shook my head. "I don't know," I replied quietly as I turned back to the stove before the bacon burned. "I was pissed and not thinking clearly. I couldn't think of any other reason why you'd keep this from me."

Vicky gently encouraged him, "Tell her what you told me last night, Charlie."

Charlie sighed, "I had so much trouble trying to tell you about Embry because I was scared that you'd feel like I was replacing you, and I didn't want you to feel that way. You're my baby girl, Bumblebee. Nothing will ever change that."

"I wouldn't have felt that way if you had just talked to me about it. I'm honestly really happy that you and Vicky have started a family. The only reason I was upset was because you didn't tell me, and I assumed the worst about why you didn't. But, with a little help, I realized that I was overreacting," I confessed.

"Who do I have to thank for knocking the stupid out of you?" he teased, and I rolled my eyes.

"Edward," I mumbled.

Charlie raised his eyebrows in response, "Huh."

Vicky smirked and then started to set the kitchen island so that we could eat breakfast.

"That's all you have to say?" I asked curiously.

I finished cooking the bacon and placed the last of it on the serving plate. As I placed the plates of food on the island, Charlie shrugged then asked, "Do I have to worry about how and when you two talked last night, when I thought you were holed up in your room?"

"Oh, stop that," Vicky scolded him. "He's a good kid, and Bella is really smart," Vicky added as Charlie pulled a chair out for her to sit in, Embry still in her arms.

He grumbled an incomprehensible response then sat down next to Victoria. "What exactly did he tell you?" Charlie questioned me curiously.

I sat down in a chair across from them and put food on my plate. "He told me I was being stupid and forced me to see that I was. When I asked him why he was helping me, he said that he messed up a lot when he first got here and that you set him straight. Care to elaborate?" I asked before I took a bite of bacon.

Charlie explained, "When Carlisle and Esme first brought Edward home, he was an angry and jaded 12-year old, because he'd been in the system for a long time. He didn't believe that the Cullens really wanted him to find a home with them." He paused to eat for a little bit so Vicky picked up where he left off.

"He lashed out," she said sadly. "He constantly picked fights with them over little things. He stole Esme's wedding and engagement rings and lied when Carlisle asked him about it. Money disappeared from both of their wallets, and laptops, TVs, and other electronics were 'accidentally' broken on a regular basis. He even stole their boat and took it for a joyride a couple of times."

I bit my lip, surprised that the boy who had helped me last night was capable of all of those things.

"I didn't get involved until he broke into our house and vandalized the living room," Charlie said as if it weren't a big deal.

"He did what?" I gasped.

"Yeah, he knocked down all of the pictures from the walls and shelves and spray painted as much as he could," Charlie replied. "I caught him, and he dared me to tell Carlisle and Esme. I told him I could do better and that I could call the cops, but I wanted to talk to him first. After I asked him why he was doing all of these things, he said that it would be easier for everyone if the Cullens sent him back sooner rather than later. I told him he was being an idiot, that Carlisle and Esme already loved him, and that the only way they could give him up would be if he continued to treat them the way he was. He snapped out of it really quickly after that."

Vicky nodded and added, "Esme's rings turned up the next day, he returned all of the money he stole, and he promised that he'd mow lawns, babysit, and do whatever he could to pay them back for all of the things he'd broken. He even apologized for everything he'd done and swore to be better."

"I also made him help me get the living room back to exactly what it was before his temper tantrum," Charlie interjected. "He's been a great kid ever since, except for the revolving door of girls that Esme always tells us about."

I made a face at that and Vicky nodded emphatically, agreeing with me.

"Well, he said that he owed you for that, which is why he 'helped me remove my head from my ass,'" I said, directly quoting him from last night.

Charlie started laughing and Embry jerked at the sound, his eyes locked on our father's face. He smiled a little, making me grin at how cute he was.

"How old is he?" I asked suddenly.

"He's three months," Vicky replied, tickling his tummy and making him giggle.

Charlie studied me intently, looking for any sign that I was upset. While it hit me that Charlie had been hiding this from me for a year and that Vicky had probably been pregnant the last time they'd visited me in Arizona, I decided that it didn't matter. He had already explained himself, and I understood, even if it still stung.

"Would you like to hold him?" Vicky asked and I froze.

"I'm not sure…" I tried to refuse but Vicky gave me a firm look.

"Come over here, and I'll show you how," she encouraged, and I knew she wouldn't take no for an answer.

I walked over to her and she placed Embry in my arms carefully. When he was situated in my arms, I looked down at him in awe. I couldn't stop staring at my brother's cute little face. I gently ran my finger against the skin of his arm and hand until he gripped my finger and held on tightly. I smiled, and Embry smiled back.

Charlie cleared his throat and Vicky chuckled. "Are you sure you're not the one who just had a baby?" she teased him. "You've been so weepy lately."

Charlie rolled his eyes at her, not giving into her teasing. I held Embry in my arms for a few more moments then gave him back to Vicky when he started to fuss. I cleaned up after breakfast and the preparation I'd done for dinner by taking all of the plates, bowls, and utensils to the sink and washing them by hand.

Charlie went to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. When he saw the meat I had marinating, he turned to me and grinned widely.

"That's part of my apology," I told him. "There's enough for you to invite the Cullens to dinner, to make up for last night."

"I can't wait," Charlie said excitedly.

"You're making his favorite for dinner?" Vicky asked and I nodded.

"You know, I had such a strong craving for your ribs when I was pregnant, but when I tried to make them, they just weren't the same," she said. "Maybe I can watch you and see how you do it?"

"Of course," I replied enthusiastically. "Right now, all we can do is let the meat marinate for a couple more hours. But I can show you what I used to make the dry rubs and the sauces."

The morning and the early afternoon passed by quickly, filled with cooking and preparation, talk about food, school, and work, and Charlie and Vicky sharing stories of her pregnancy and Embry.

* * *

><p>Charlie was in the backyard, grilling the ribs. I had just finished making garlic mashed potatoes from scratch while the pork shoulder cooled. Earlier, Charlie showed me how to hook my phone up to the house's sound system so that my music played through all of the speakers in the house and in the backyard.<p>

As I transferred the mashed potatoes to a serving plate, Vicky walked into the kitchen from the backdoor.

"Hey, Bells," she said. "How much longer should Charlie keep the ribs on the grill?"

I quickly checked the time, "About 20 minutes."

"Perfect," she said happily. "The Cullens will be here any minute now, and the table in the backyard is already set."

I finished with the mashed potatoes and then set them on the island, where the other dishes had already been placed. I arranged everything to look nice and presentable. Charlie, Vicky, and I decided that we'd eat outside but keep the food inside to keep it safe from the birds and insects.

As I was working, one of my guilty pleasure songs, What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction, came on and I groaned quietly out of embarrassment.

Vicky laughed at me and asked, "Really, Bells? I thought you were done with the boy band thing after NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys."

"It's catchy," I defended myself.

"Hey, what direction do five gay guys walk in?" she asked to set up her joke.

"One Direction, ha ha ha," I replied flatly but turned to grin at my ridiculous stepmother.

I was surprised when I saw that she was mouthing the lyrics while staring at the pork shoulder.

"Are you singing to the pork?!" I asked incredulously and then burst into laughter.

Vicky just smiled then started singing out loud, picking up the pan of meat and swinging it around as if she were dancing with it. "Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you. Baby you light up my world like nobody else," she sang loudly and off-key. Then she looked at me, "Come on, I know you know the words. Sing with me!"

I shook my head but reached for the pepper mill to use as a microphone. I sang out loud, just as silly and off-key as my stepmom, "If only you saw what I could see, you'll understand why I want you so desperately."

Vicky joined me and we both started to dance around, singing to the pork, "Right now, I'm looking at you and I can't believe, you don't know oh, oh. You don't know you're beautiful, oh, oh. That's what makes you beautiful!"

The sound of loud, surprised laughter made us freeze then turn to face our unexpected audience. The Cullens stood there with Charlie, faces red with how hard they were laughing at us.

Edward's face caught my eye because of the way his head was thrown back and his eyes were squinting from smiling so widely… _So handsome, _I thought to myself dazedly. I shook my head and reminded myself why I didn't want to go down that road.

I looked at Vicky, and she met my eyes then smiled. I nodded and we went back to singing and dancing with the pork until the song ended, while our audience laughed until they cried at our spectacular performance.

When the song ended and transitioned into a soft ballad, I threw my arm around my stepmom. "Thank you, thank you!" I said then we bowed. "We are the Swans, and we'll be here all summer!"

I grinned widely and took the pork shoulder from Vicky, who then busied herself with taking the barbecue sauce for the ribs out of the refrigerator.

"Do we even want to know what that was?" Jasper questioned once everyone was calm enough to talk.

"Oh, you know, the secret to good pulled pork is to make it feel beautiful and appreciated," I said nonchalantly, smirking.

Vicky nodded emphatically in response to my statement. "If the pork is happy, it'll make us happy," she said, rubbing her stomach for good measure.

"Oh, dear," Esme said with a chuckle. "It seems I've been cooking pork wrong my whole life."

"Well, I'm glad to share my secret ingredient with you," I joked back, finally chuckling as I started to shred the pork.

A large hand slipped over my shoulder and stole a couple of pieces of pork before I could slap it away. "Hey!" I scolded then turned to face a sheepish Emmett.

"Sorry, Bells," he said, only sounding half-sincere. "It looks too good not to get a small taste first."

"Out of the kitchen please," I shooed him and everyone else to the backdoor. "It'll be done soon."

Once they all left, I focused on finishing dinner. I hummed and shredded pork for a couple of minutes before I was interrupted again.

"That was some performance," Edward complimented and I jumped a little.

I whipped around, "Jesus, Edward. Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," he shrugged unapologetically. I rolled my eyes at him and then turned back to the pork.

"I assume today went well with Charlie, since I didn't hear any more yelling," he said and leaned on his elbows on the counter next to me.

"It did," I confirmed then stopped shredding the pork when I was satisfied with how big the pieces were.

He placed his hand on his chest as if he were wounded. "That's all I get? I don't deserve any details, even after all of my help last night?"

I shook my head at him then retrieved the sauce for the pulled pork. I added some of the sauce to the pulled pork then mixed it in. "It wasn't a long conversation," I responded. "I apologized, so did Charlie. He basically told me the same thing you did, that he was scared I'd feel like he was replacing me. I told him you helped me realize that I overreacted, and he told me about how he helped you."

Edward's face darkened, and I immediately felt guilty for being the cause. "So you know how awful I was?" he asked quietly.

"I know what you did," I corrected. "But it must have been hard, adjusting to parents like Carlisle and Esme after being in the system for so long. And what matters is that you realized you were wrong and you made up for it."

He studied me for a few moments. "Okay," was all he said.

"Okay," I repeated.

We didn't say much after that. Mostly, he just watched me while I worked, hummed, and wiggled my hips a little when I was particularly enjoying a song.

That was until I saw his hand creeping towards the pan of pork in front of me. I slapped his hand hard and he yanked it towards his chest.

"Ouch!" he hissed, pouting at me.

"That's what you get," I said, shaking my head at him.

"But Emmett got some," he complained.

"That's because he was too fast," I explained. "I would have slapped his hand too, if I could have."

"But he still got to taste it," Edward said, moving closer to me and placing his hands on the counter on either side of me to trap me. He leaned into me, invading my private space and making my heart very confused. "Please," he said softly.

I narrowed my eyes at him then firmly pushed his chest so he'd step away from me. "No," I said firmly. He returned to his spot beside me, pouting the entire time.

I finished seasoning the pulled pork a few minutes later, just as my dad walked into the kitchen with the ribs. Vicky and the rest of the Cullens followed him into the house. I put the pulled pork next to the ribs then made a flourishing gesture with my hands. "Please, go ahead and dig in," I said with a smile.

Once everyone had their food and I had warmed up a bottle for Embry, we went to the backyard. Like the house Edward and I had gone to last night, Charlie's backyard was huge. There was a large pool to the right of the backyard and the left side was mostly grassy, open space. The whole backyard was softly lit with fairy lights and cloth lanterns.

Near the back edge of the yard, a long, wooden table was set with a white table cloth and candles. Everyone chose a seat, and Rosalie and Alice saved me a spot in between them. I saw that Vicky couldn't eat because she was trying to feed Embry.

"Here, Vicky," I said as I went to her. "I'll feed Embry while you eat."

"But you should-" she said and I waved her off.

"I'm fine," I said and reached out so she could place him in my arms. "I can wait."

She reluctantly agreed then carefully handed him to me. I sat down next to Alice and Rosalie and they cooed at Embry while he drank from his bottle and they ate their dinner.

"Damn, Bella," Emmett groaned loudly after taking a large bite out of a rib. "If everything you cook tastes as good as this, I'm marrying you as soon as possible."

I shot a wide-eyed look at Rosalie, but she laughed. "He's just being an idiot," she said with a roll of her eyes, so I relaxed.

"The pulled pork is really delicious," Carlisle complimented, sauce smudged on his shirt.

Alice laughed at him then leaned over to whisper conspiratorially, "He means it. When Dad really enjoys his food, it ends up all over his clothes."

I laughed and used my chin to gesture at Charlie, who had somehow managed to get barbecue sauce on his forehead. "My dad is the same, only it ends up all over his face."

Rosalie, Alice, and I laughed at our fathers.

"Goodness, Carlisle. Really?" Esme asked, exasperated when she saw him spill even more food on his shirt. This made us laugh even harder.

"Jesus," Jasper moaned. "How are these mashed potatoes so good?"

I laughed and smiled, "They're made from scratch with cream cheese, oven-roasted garlic, and lots of butter."

Edward was quiet. He wasn't even paying attention to anything else happening at the table. He was too busy stuffing his face with food, and I wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Edward, please," Esme admonished him. "You're going to choke."

He sheepishly smiled then started eating at a less dangerous pace. Satisfied, Esme turned to me and smiled.

"You have to give me your recipes," Esme said excitedly. Unable to resist one last jab at Vicky's and my ridiculous karaoke session earlier, she continued, "Other than making it feel beautiful, I have no idea what else you did to the pork to make it so delicious. And the ribs… what makes the sauce so sweet, without being too much?"

I answered, "I can write down the recipes for you after dinner, if you'd like."

"We'd love that!" Emmett replied for her, his mouth full. This earned him a stern look from his mother and father, to whom he grinned apologetically.

There was never a break in conversation. As soon as I finished telling someone something, someone else caught my attention. It was almost overwhelming, but it was the most fun I'd had in such a large group of people in a long time.

When Vicky finished eating, she took Embry from me and I ate quickly because I was so hungry. Dinner finished sooner than I thought it would, even though everyone went back for seconds and Emmett went back for thirds.

Conversation started to lull after everyone ate a piece of the pie for dessert, and I laughed at how sleepy everyone looked. The slow, quiet music that was playing through the speakers wasn't helping the matter either.

"Ugh, major food coma," Edward moaned as he leaned back and rubbed his stomach.

"Ed, Jazz," Emmett said with his eyes closed. "You might have to roll me back to the house. I don't think I can move."

This caused laughter to ripple through everyone at the table.

"You know, when the stomach is fully extended, it can reach your pelvis," I said matter-of-factly and Emmett's eyes popped open. He stared at his abdomen in horror.

Rosalie, Alice, and I lost it, bursting into laughter at Emmett's face. Alice laughed so hard that the only sound coming out of her mouth was an occasional wheeze or squeak. This only made Rosalie and I laugh even harder.

"Ugh, Bells," Emmett complained. "That image makes me so uncomfortable."

I shrugged, wiping laughter-induced tears from my eyes, "Sorry, I learned it in AP Bio and I thought it was relevant."

"Oh, so you're a nerd," Rosalie teased, and I stuck my tongue out at her.

"What if I am?" I asked, raising my chin to dare her to say something I didn't like.

"She's too pretty to be a nerd," Edward blurted then tried to hide the blush that turned the tips of his ears red.

Jasper, Emmett, Alice, and Rose just looked at him in surprise.

Jasper whistled lowly then grinned, "Wow, Bella. I don't think I've ever seen him so off his game like this."

Edward flipped his brother off with a roll of his eyes, and Esme admonished him with a look.

"Well, I'm not flattered," I said, cocking an eyebrow at Edward because I was kind of offended. "Why can't smart girls be pretty? Sounds shallow, if you ask me."

Edward snapped, "I didn't mean it as an insult."

"So?" I challenged and he glared at me.

I matched his glare and we maintained eye contact for a long time, neither one of us wavering. After a few tense minutes, Edward caved and looked away.

"I didn't mean it the way it sounded," Edward said, looking down at the table instead of at me. Then he mumbled, "Sorry."

"It's okay," I said and leaned back in my seat.

Our next exchange was weird, and though I wanted to mean it, I had a feeling that neither of us did.

"You know, you're kind of a bitch," Edward said, smirking at me.

"You're not exactly a ray of sunshine either," I retorted with a roll of my eyes but felt my traitorous lips pull into a smirk that matched his.

Alice looked back and forth between Edward and me with a weird look on her face. Before I could ask her what she was thinking, Carlisle stood from the table.

"Okay, before we all pass out at this table, I think we should get going," Carlisle said and pulled Esme's chair out for her. "Thank you so much for dinner, Bella."

"Yes," Esme added. "We might have to ask you to cook for us again sometime this summer, if you're up for it."

"I'd be happy to," I responded then waved goodbye to them.

Alice stood up and threw her arms around me. "You should hang out with us tomorrow! We were thinking of going to Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden for a bit."

"I'll check if it's okay with Charlie and Vicky then I'll let you know," I promised and hugged her back.

I turned around and Rosalie hugged me while she said, "To be honest, I might have to marry you myself for those ribs."

We both laughed, and she continued, "You should really come with us tomorrow. We can chill and show you around Santa Barbara. It'll be fun."

"Okay!" I said and smiled.

I waved goodbye to Jasper, Edward, and Emmett who were groaning as they walked back to their house because they were so full. Once the Cullens left the backyard, Charlie and I started cleaning up after dinner while Vicky went upstairs to put Embry down for the night.

"Hey, Dad," I called when we were almost done. "Can I hang out with the Cullen kids tomorrow?"

"Sure," Charlie nodded. "What are you going to do?"

"Rosalie said they'd show me around Santa Barbara a little and Alice said we'd visit a park," I told him and he nodded.

"Okay, have fun and be safe," he said and I nodded.

We finished cleaning up then went upstairs. Just as I was about to go into my room, Charlie called my name to stop me.

"Yeah?" I answered and turned to face him.

"Thanks for dinner, and…" he said then paused. "I'm happy that you're not leaving. You are still staying for the summer, right?"

I smiled gently and nodded, "Yeah, if you and Vicky will have me."

"Of course we will, kid," he said gruffly. "Goodnight."

"Night, Dad," I replied then walked into my room.

I knew it had to be weird for him. We hadn't spent a whole summer together since before the divorce. In fact, we hadn't spent more than three weeks together a year since I was 8, so it was a little weird for me too. When I thought about it like that, it made me sad, so I decided to look at it from a different angle. It seemed like spending the summer in California would be good for me, between getting some space from Renee, bonding with Charlie, Vicky, and Embry, and befriending the Cullens.

Excited about the rest of my summer, I quickly got ready for bed and then snuggled into my comforter. It had been a long day, so it didn't take long for me to fall into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed chapter 4!<strong>

**Bella and Charlie have made up, we got to know Vicky a little, and Bella and Edward are in a weird place but Bella and the rest of the Cullens are getting along really well. **

**And if you're interested in the food in this chapter, review or send me a PM and I'll send you the recipes :)**

**Next up we have more bonding between Bella and the Cullen kids. ****I'm going to try to post another chapter by Saturday morning because I'm going on vacation for a week, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to write during that time.**

**Thank you for reading, and please let me know what you think!**


	5. Want to Want Me

The next morning, I slowly became aware of whispered voices debating something seriously. I tried to ignore them but bits of their conversation floated through my consciousness.

"…not a good idea…"

"…be fine…"

"But Charlie said…"

"…can't be that bad…"

Hoping to block out the voices, I rolled over and buried my head under my pillow.

"Bella!" A loud, high-pitched squeal followed by the thud of footsteps rushing toward my bed warned me before a petite body landed, hard, on top of me. _Alice_. "Get up, get up, get up! The sun is out, the birds are singing, and-"

Without ever opening my eyes, I groaned loudly to interrupt her, slipped out from under her body and the covers, and began my retaliation against the evil pixie who dared interrupt my sleep. I yanked the comforter to my chest then wrapped it around her, trapping her under it. To make sure she couldn't escape, I wrapped my arms and legs around her and held on tightly, cuddling into her as if she were a large teddy bear.

I tried to go back to sleep but quickly found that I couldn't. I frowned because she wouldn't stop writhing, trying to break free from the covers.

"Hey," I said, my voice rough with sleep while I poked her through the thick blanket, still without opening my eyes. "Stop wiggling. I can't sleep like this."

A frustrated shriek sounded from under the comforter and I scrunched up my face in annoyance. I tried a different approach. Still half-asleep, I began petting the lump that I assumed was her head through the blanket and gently shushing her. Giggles and whispers sounded from my doorway but I waved the voices off. When that didn't stop them, I lifted my head a little in their general direction and scolded them, my eyes still glued shut by sleep.

"Hey," I told the voices. "Quiet over there. My friend and I are trying to sleep."

My head flopped back onto my pillow and I started to fall asleep again.

"Nice panties," a smooth, deep male voice said. _Edward_. I immediately jerked awake, yanking my loose sleepshirt down to cover my goodies. Boisterous laughter filled my bedroom. When I smoothed the bottom of my oversized shirt against the tops of my legs, I felt the hem of the sleep shorts I remembered to pull on before bed last night.

Usually, I only wore a big, loose shirt to bed, using it as a short nightgown, but I didn't know if Vicky or Charlie would come into my room at any point during the night or the morning. Just in case, I chose to wear shorts to avoid giving them an accidental show. Turned out that was a good decision, despite having initially forgotten about it.

I shot the group of teenagers crowding my doorway a menacing glare.

"Oh, shit," Emmett said, fear and surprise bleeding into his voice at my expression.

"Jeez, Bella," Alice complained, finally untangling herself from the covers. "I was suffocating under there!"

I swiveled my head slowly to shoot the same angry look at Alice and she froze.

"Um," she squeaked. "Good morning?"

I took a deep breath, about to curse at them for being so rude when the smell of coffee wafted to me.

"Oh, calm your tits," Rosalie said right as the smell hit me. She walked to sit on the edge of my bed while holding a mug of coffee in her hand. Steam was floating from the top of the mug, and my expression quickly morphed to one of appreciation and neediness.

I reached out to her with both arms, opening and closing my hands with an eager expression on my face like a child. Rosalie moved the mug out of my reach.

Rosalie shook her head, "Hell no. What do you say first?"

I pouted for a few moments, debating whether or not it would be worth it. But the thought of hot, creamy, rich coffee… Definitely worth it.

"Please," I finally whined and Rosalie handed over the cup.

I drank a big gulp, relaxing a little bit as the coffee warmed my chest.

"Are you civilized y-" Emmett tried to ask and then a sharp smack pierced the air.

"Charlie said to let her drink the whole mug before starting a conversation with her. Do you want another death glare?" Jasper warned.

I downed the mug quickly, letting it wash away the rest of my tiredness and irritation and finally feeling like myself. After I was done, I smiled brightly at everyone in the room.

"Good morning!" I chirped and silence greeted me.

"Thanks for the coffee, Rosalie," I said as I stretched my arms and my back. When I looked at my new friends, they were staring at me with wide eyes.

"Charlie warned us that you're pretty awful at being woken up before you're ready to," Edward said while shaking his head.

"But he didn't tell us you get possessed by a demon," Emmett said, gesturing at me wildly with his hands.

"Seriously, Bella," Alice nodded slowly. "That glare was scary."

"Eh," Rose shrugged. "It wasn't that bad."

"Says the girl who had the one thing that would keep Bella from hurting you," Jasper rolled his eyes at her.

"Not the only thing," I defended myself. "Food works also; coffee just works faster. Besides, I wouldn't have hurt anyone! I would have said some mean things, but I mean… Charlie warned you!"

Alice hung her head sadly while she said, "Yeah, but we were excited about bonding with you today."

I immediately felt guilty. Placing the mug on the stand next to my bed, I wrapped my arms around Alice.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, looking at everyone. "I just get really cranky in the mornings, especially when someone wakes me earlier than I thought I'd have to be up."

"It's okay," Alice grinned and perked up. "At least you bounce back fast once you've been bribed!"

I laughed then climbed out of bed. I shooed everyone downstairs so that I could do my morning routine and get ready for the day. After finishing up in the bathroom, I stood in front of my closet and examined my clothes.

Since we were going to a park, I pulled on distressed skinny jeans but rolled the hems up to about two inches above my ankles. On top, I wore a loose, white bardot top that left my shoulders and the tops of my arms bare. The shirt itself was more held up by the gentle sweetheart neckline than the sleeves, which hung loosely from about halfway down my upper arms to my elbows. The top was flowy, so it swished around my skin as I moved, and stopped right at my belly button, showing a couple of inches of my toned, bare abdomen before the waistband of my jeans. I finished the outfit with pointed brown flats with a thick black ankle strap.

After slipping some emergency money into my phone's wallet case and grabbing my brown aviator sunglasses, I tucked my phone into my back pocket, hooked my sunglasses on the neckline of my shirt, and then headed downstairs. I heard Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett, and Edward in the kitchen so that's where I headed.

"Hey, that was pretty fast!" Alice said when she noticed me and I nodded.

"Yeah, I tried not to keep you guys waiting too long," I smiled then leaned over to reach for one of the muffins on a plate in the middle of the island.

A strangled sound came from Edward's direction, who was standing against the wall behind me, and I looked back at him in surprise. His eyes were glued to my butt, so I glared at him, clearing my throat to redirect his attention. His eyes flicked up to my face, widened at the sight my glare, then looked away. I huffed and rolled my eyes then faced the rest of our group.

"So what's the plan for today?" I asked before taking a big bite of the muffin.

"We're just going to go to Alice Keck Park for a couple of hours, drive around a bit to give you a little tour, and then we'll come back here and chill," Rosalie answered.

"Unless you want to go to the beach once we're done at the park," Jasper suggested.

"It's going to be super hot today," Alice argued. "It'll be cooler later this week, so we should go then."

"Sounds good," I said, already finished with my first muffin and reaching for another one.

"Guess what, Bells! Eddie is actually tagging along today," Emmett said excitedly.

Edward shot him an annoyed look and warned, "Stop calling me Eddie."

"Does Edward not usually hang out with you guys?" I asked curiously.

"Not on certain days of the week," Jasper said with a smirk. "Mondays are when he 'hangs out' with Jessica."

"Oh," I said when I realized what Jasper meant. I made a disgusted face at the thought that Edward had worked out a schedule with this girl, and I wondered if he had a different girl for every weekday. The thought made me really uncomfortable. The player I kept hearing about didn't match up with the Edward I had seen so far, and it was extremely confusing. It made it difficult for me to make up my mind about him.

"Don't worry, Bella," Rosalie said. "We all feel the same way about Edward's 'friends.'" She then mimed throwing up.

I laughed and flicked a glance at Edward, whose arms were crossed and jaw was clenched. I wondered what he was thinking for a moment, but then I shook my head to clear it and reached for another muffin. I stopped when I realized everyone was staring at me.

"What?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"That's your third muffin," Alice pointed out.

I nodded, "Yeah. So?"

"Aren't you full already?" Rosalie asked. "Alice and I can barely eat one on our own, because they're so big."

"I'm a swimmer, so I'm used to eating a lot and then burning it off later," I answered but didn't grab another muffin like I wanted. After casting it one last longing glance, I smiled at everyone.

"Ready to go?" I asked, to which they all nodded.

I led the way to the door and held it open so everyone could file out. Edward was the last of the group to leave, a minute behind the others. Before he passed the threshold, he handed me something wrapped in a napkin.

"Is this-?" I asked and he nodded, cutting me off.

"Sorry for… getting distracted earlier," he said with a smirk, even while redness bloomed in his cheeks, and then left to join his siblings.

I opened the paper towel to make sure it was what I thought it was. When I saw that it was another muffin, I shook my head at him. As much as I fought it, I couldn't help but grin as I closed the door and ate the muffin while I followed the Cullens to their boat.

I finished the muffin and threw the napkin in the trashcan on the dock before I hopped onto the boat. Once I was on, I cast Edward a grateful look and he nodded.

The boat ride was short. Once we docked the boat on the shore, we went to the parking garage. Rosalie led Alice and me to her car, a red Mustang convertible, while the boys went to a green Jeep. Before she climbed into the driver's seat, Rosalie pulled the top of the car down.

"Your car is beautiful," I told Rosalie as she pulled out of the space, changed gears, and then sped out of the parking garage. The Jeep was right behind us the entire time.

"Thanks!" she said and navigated through the streets to our destination. "I helped my grandfather fix it up before he died a year ago."

"Oh," I said, feeling guilty that I brought it up. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Rosalie shrugged, though I saw her lips pull up into a sad smile in the rearview mirror. "He'd been sick for a long time, so Jasper and I were prepared."

"So you and Jasper are related?" I asked.

She chuckled, "Yeah, we're actually twins."

"Oh, cool! I figured you guys were at least cousins or something, because you have the same eyes and hair," I explained.

I was about to ask another question when Alice squealed, "I love this song!"

She turned the radio up, and I recognized it as Want to Want Me by Jason Derulo. It was a catchy song, so I joined Alice and Rose in singing and dancing in the car.

I couldn't help but laugh when Alice twisted in the passenger seat to look back at me and sing the chorus, pointing to me and waving her arms around wildly. When I stopped laughing, I sang the song right back to Alice while dancing goofily, popping my chest and shaking my arms and shoulders in response.

When the song was over, we laughed and then continued to dance and sing to the radio until we got to our destination. It took about twenty minutes to get there and for Rosalie to find parking. Once we were stopped, we all got out of the car and waited for the boys to catch up with us.

"What was going on in your car?" Emmett asked. "Karaoke and a dance party?"

"Yeah, Alice," Jasper said, sidling up to his girlfriend and throwing an arm around her shoulder. "Do I have to worry about you serenading Bella?"

"We were just having fun," Alice giggled.

Rosalie joked, "Didn't you enjoy the show?"

"I don't know," Edward teased. "I was too concerned about Bella. It looked like she was having a seizure with the way she was jerking around in the backseat."

My mouth fell open in indignation and I slapped Edward's shoulder while everyone else laughed. "Hey! I'll have you know, my dancing is awesome!"

"He has a point, though," Alice said with a giggle. "You were jerking around a lot."

I rolled my eyes, "Because I was joking around! Trust me, I'm a much better dancer when I'm actually trying." I punctuated my statement with a quick wink at everyone. As they continued to tease me about my dancing and I demonstrated some of my best dorky dance moves, they started walking through the park.

I followed their lead to a wooden gazebo near the edge of a large pond. They were still laughing at my Q-tip dance move, which involved pretending like I was cleaning my ear with a Q-tip and then throwing the Q-tip away, while I sat down on one of the benches under the gazebo so that I could watch the ducks and the turtles swimming around.

"This place is gorgeous," I said as I peered into the water.

"There are parks like this all around Santa Barbara," Alice said excitedly.

"It seems like a beautiful place to live," I said with a smile.

"So why don't you live here with Charlie and Vicky?" Rosalie asked suddenly.

"Rose," Jasper chided but I waved it off.

From what I'd seen of Rosalie so far, I knew how blunt she could be. She often came off as mean or brusque, especially since she cursed like a sailor, but I could already tell the difference between when she wanted to be mean and when she was just saying what was on her mind.

"I didn't really have a choice," I answered honestly.

"During the trial, they didn't they ask you who you wanted to stay with?" Edward asked.

"Nope," I answered. "I don't think Charlie really fought for me during the proceedings."

"That doesn't make sense," Alice said, furrowing her eyebrows. "He loves you so much. I can't imagine him not fighting for you."

I shrugged, playing it off even though her words were hitting close to some of my insecurities. "My mom cheated on him, and it really broke his heart," I admitted quietly. "I look like her so I think I was a painful reminder of what happened."

"That's rough," Emmett commented, shaking his head.

"Yeah," I nodded, my lips twisting into a sardonic grin. "But I guess that's what happens when you get pregnant at sixteen and then marry the only boyfriend you've ever had right after high school."

Jasper whistled lowly, "Yikes."

"Yup," I agreed.

"Did your mom ever remarry?" Alice questioned.

I scoffed and chuckled wryly. "Oh, yeah. She's actually working on making my current stepfather her fifth ex-husband."

Their eyes grew really wide.

"Wow," Alice said, trying not to be rude. "That's… wow."

"Why?" Rosalie asked curiously.

"I don't know why she remarried, because she's obviously not built for long-term, committed relationships. But they all divorced her because she cheated on all of them," I told them, fighting the urge to wring my hands together nervously. This was the most I'd talked about Renee with someone other than Charlie in a long time. It made me feel a glimmer of anxiety, since I didn't know how they'd react, but for the most part, talking to them felt kind of natural.

"So you came here for the summer because…?" Jasper asked and looked at me with sympathy in his eyes.

"Because I walked in on her with our neighbor," I told them, deciding to be completely truthful.

Alice and Rosalie sucked in a sharp breath while the boys remained silent. "Damn," Rosalie said while shaking her head.

"That's…" Alice tried to say but then just huffed a sigh.

"Do you know why your mom can't commit?" Edward asked curiously.

I answered with a shrug, "Beats me." I paused, surprised by how much I wanted to share with them. I was never eager to share more information about myself than was necessary, more so when it came to my mom.

Alice sensed that I wanted to say more, so she smiled gently while she encouraged me. "You can tell us anything, Bella."

Before I could think about it, I blurted out, "I asked my mom why she did it once, right after my dad left." I took a deep breath then continued, "She said it was because she'd had all of these big dreams to travel and experience the world, but then she ended up trapped with Charlie and me."

"How old were you when your dad left?" Emmett asked, his expression incredulous.

"I was four," I answered.

"No offense, but to say something like that to a four year old? That's kind of fucked up," Edward said quietly.

"She was so upset about my dad leaving, she wasn't thinking clearly," I defended her.

"What's wrong with you?" Rosalie demanded. "There's no way you can be this well-adjusted while having such serious mommy issues."

I burst into laughter as Alice, Jasper, and Emmett admonished Rosalie. "No, it's okay," I said. "Your honesty is so refreshing, Rosalie," I told her, a big smile on my face.

"My friends call me Rose," she corrected me and I nodded, letting her know I understood her.

Ignoring her question about my issues, because I had many and I wasn't prepared to scare my new friends away so soon, I remained quiet.

"So what's life in Arizona like?" Emmett asked brightly.

"Dry," I answered immediately.

Alice shook her head and said, "I think he meant more along the lines of school, boys, and friends."

I thought about how to answer for a moment. School was a complicated subject, so I decided to skirt around the problematic things.

"Well, I'm the captain of the swim team at my high school," I finally said. "So most of my close friends are also my teammates." Technically, this wasn't a lie. After Jacob and Leah spread that rumor about me, a lot of my friends abandoned me. The ones that stayed, though they grew more distant, were also on the swim team.

"So you're not just a nerd then?" Jasper teased, and I playfully flipped him off.

"What about the boys in Arizona?" Alice asked.

I grimaced and then sighed heavily.

"Uh oh," Rose said. "We know that sigh."

"That sigh says that there's a lot of baggage pertaining to that particular subject," Alice nodded. "Go on, Bella. We're good listeners, I promise."

I shook my head, "I've already unloaded a lot of my baggage on you all today." I jokingly continued, "I don't think you can handle the rest of what I'm packing."

Alice opened her mouth to argue with me but Edward cut her off.

"If she doesn't want to talk about it, then we can't make her," Jasper said with finality.

I sent him a grateful smile, and he nodded.

"Would you all believe me if I said I was a lesbian?" I asked jokingly.

"Hell no," Edward said with a smirk. "Not with the way you stared at my ass the other night."

"For the last time, your ass isn't as great as you think it is!" I said with a shake of my head.

This caused the rest of the group to laugh and the mood to lighten.

"Deny it all you want, but we all know you want me," Edward argued.

"Only in your fantasies," I retorted.

"Oh, most definitely in those too," Edward admitted teasingly.

"Gross," Rosalie said, scrunching her nose up at him. "Is that why you took so long to get out of the shower this morning?"

Edward flipped her off, making everyone laugh.

"You know, Edward, I'm a little concerned about your obsession with butts. Are you sure you're not playing for the other team?" I joked. "There's no shame in it."

"Name a time and place, and I'll show you just how straight I am," Edward said, winking at me.

I rolled my eyes and retorted, still smirking, "And waste 15 seconds of my life? No thanks."

This made Emmett, Rose, Jasper, and Alice burst into laughter and join in on the teasing. Everyone gave just as well as they got so there were no hurt feelings. The joking continued for a long time until Jasper suggested that we take a closer look at the turtles. We all stood up to make our way to the open, grassy area on the other side of the pond. The boys went ahead of Alice, Rose, and me.

I started to follow the boys when Alice and Rose each hooked one of their arms through one of mine so that I was in the middle of them.

"Thanks for sharing so much with us," Alice said sweetly as we fell into step with each other.

"Yeah," Rose agreed. "We could tell how difficult that was for you, so we're glad that you shared as much as you did with us."

"It was easier than it should have been," I said honestly. "I don't usually talk about things like that with people other than Charlie."

Alice and Rose shared a look then looked back at me.

"We know what your issue is," Rose smirked.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You know," Alice said. "The thing that's wrong with you because of all your baggage?"

"Ah," I said, finally understanding that they were referring to earlier when Rose said something had to be wrong with me because of my issues with my mom. "Okay, so what's my problem?"

"You're very closed off," Rose said. "It's hard for you to be open with other people because you're always waiting for the other shoe to drop."

I opened my mouth to argue but knew I couldn't. Deep down, I knew they were right. Renee had never demonstrated a healthy, stable, long-lasting relationship, and there were very few relationships in my life that felt permanent. Literally, I could count them on one hand. All of my other relationships, including friendships and romantic relationships, tended to end badly. It had made me cautious about forming new relationships with people and made me aware of how quickly those relationships could end.

It baffled me that they could see that about me so quickly. I wondered if I was that transparent or if Alice and Rose were just that perceptive. I looked at them curiously, and they both just smiled at me.

"But don't worry," Alice said gently and patted my arm. "We'll be here when you open up, whenever you're ready."

* * *

><p><strong>Bonus: Edward's POV<strong>

"So how should we wake her up?" Alice asked, bouncing on her toes excitedly.

"Yank the covers off of her?" Emmett suggested.

Jasper shook his head, "If she's as awful as Charlie said, then that's probably not a good idea."

I chuckled lowly then suggested, "Should I start filling a bucket of cold water?"

"Yeah, because that's so much more pleasant," Rose said and rolled her eyes at me.

"Honestly, I think it'll be fine no matter what we do," Alice argued.

"But Charlie said we should just wait for her to wake up," Jasper said as I studied Bella's sleeping form.

She was sleeping on her side, one arm tucked under her head and the other resting on the bed in front of her stomach. She was curled into herself with the comforter draped around the tops of her thighs but free of the rest of her body. Her brown hair was up in a messy bun, but tendrils of hair hung loosely against her cheek and her slender neck. During the night, the collar of the oversized shirt she wore had slipped enough to reveal one of her sharp collarbones and the hollow at the base of her throat. I took in the fullness of her pink lips, her slender nose, and the long, thick eyelashes that brushed the tops of her cheeks. Unbidden, the image of her big, brown eyes floated through my head.

_God, she's so beautiful_, I thought to myself then shook my head. I immediately stopped that train of thought. Bella Swan was hot, sure, but she wasn't any better than my bed buddies.

At least that's what I kept trying to convince myself. There was something about her that made me feel… off, but not in an entirely negative way. It was confusing to say the least. I usually made up my mind about girls very quickly and with only one thing on my mind.

"We've been waiting for her to wake up for more than an hour," Alice whined, bringing me out of my thoughts. "I'm sure she can't be that bad, right?"

The sound of Bella's groan and the rustling of her sheets made us turn to her. She had rolled onto her stomach and buried her head under her pillow.

I watched in mild amusement as Alice called Bella's name, squealed, and then body slammed her. I winced, because I'd been on the receiving end of Alice's exuberance many times before and it had always resulted in some kind of bump or bruise from a misplaced elbow or knee. But it seemed like Bella was okay.

I burst into loud laughter when Bella wrapped Alice in the comforter and then trapped her in it. I laughed even harder when she shushed Jasper, Emmett, Rose, and me. However, I quickly sobered when I noticed dark blue lace peeking out from under Bella's tiny shorts. She'd thrown one of her legs over Alice's body, causing the shorts to ride up quite a bit.

"Nice panties," I complimented, eyeing the lace in appreciation and shifting my weight to keep my jeans from getting too uncomfortable.

I laughed again when Bella's eyes flew open in a panic and she tried to cover her sleep shorts. When she glared at us, my laughter cut off immediately. Her brown eyes had darkened considerably and burned with intense anger. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her lips were set in a grim line, and her jaw was clenched tightly.

I didn't know it was possible to be scared and turned on all at the same time.

I only relaxed when Rose handed Bella the mug of coffee, which Charlie said would help. After Bella finished the mug and said good morning, we were all floored at her drastic change in mood. Not long after, she kicked us out of her room to get ready so we all headed to the kitchen to eat breakfast before we left.

What happened during breakfast only further proved that Bella was messing with my head. I was usually much more discreet when checking a girl out, and I sure as hell didn't make it a habit to feel sheepish about it or to try to make it up to the girl. Although, the gesture with the muffin had a lot to do with the fact that she had looked at it so sadly after Alice and Rose pointed out that she'd eaten a lot and I felt bad for her.

I was mostly quiet on the boat and in the car because, between what Rose had said during breakfast and Bella, I was too lost in my thoughts. I mean, it wasn't a secret that my family didn't like that I only had casual relationships with girls, but their responses during breakfast had made me feel really guilty. They acted as if I blew them off for girls all the time, but it was only a couple of days a week.

Bella's reaction was what bothered me the most, though, and I hated that she made me feel so off. In fact, I was starting to regret not meeting up with Jessica.

_I'm sure she could've been able to make me forget all about her. _

But that thought just made me feel even weirder. I was growing more and more frustrated. Who was this girl, and why was she constantly knocking me onto my ass?

Emmett's surprised laughter brought me out of my thoughts, and I looked up from my spot in the backseat. The girls were in the car in front of us and they were dancing to a song on the radio. Through the open windows, we heard it was some song that always played on top 40 radio stations.

As I chuckled at Bella's terrible dancing, her arms and chest jerking in any and all directions, I couldn't help but agree with the song. Despite how much she fucked with my head, I wanted her to want me. I wanted _her_. But I couldn't say for sure that I only wanted to get into her pants, and that was what terrified me.

_I'm not built for relationships. Thanks to my father, it's literally not in my DNA, _I thought to myself. _I have to stop this shit before it becomes a problem. I have to avoid her._

That plan lasted about two seconds after Jasper, Emmett, and I climbed out of the Jeep. I couldn't resist teasing her, because she was too damn cute when she was annoyed, with the way her nose scrunched and her eyes narrowed. Then when she told us about herself and her situation, I wanted to know more and more about her, not just about her parents or her school but also about what had happened to her to make her so apprehensive about a simple question about guys. As curious as I was, I felt bad that she looked so panicked when Alice pressed for her to answer the question, so I gave her an out, which led to more banter.

It was only after Jasper suggested we go to the other side of the pond that I realized I'd gotten sucked into her again. I couldn't let it happen again, so I pulled out my phone to text Jessica and schedule a time for me to come over the next day.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about the wait! Turns out, I wasn't able to get the chapter ready before I went on vacation, which is why this update took so long.<strong>

**However, I thought y'all might enjoy a little EPOV to compensate and to give you a little insight into why he's going to act like such a jerk in the next chapter or so. **

**As always, thank you so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think :)**


	6. Can't Feel My Face

"Now don't tense up like you did last time. Your body will naturally adjust, so don't fight it," Jasper coached.

"And remember, don't be afraid of it. It's big so it'll be easier once you get into a stable position," Emmett encouraged.

Jasper was talking about how my balance would right itself, and Emmett was referring to the longboard that I was straddling.

"I'd feel a lot more comfortable if you didn't make it sound so wrong," I joked, which made Em and Jazz laugh.

We were far enough into the water that it reached Emmett's and Jasper's chests as they flanked me, while I practiced getting into a stable, standing position on the board. They had taken it upon themselves to try to teach me how to surf while Alice and Rose tanned on the beach, but I didn't want to try catching a wave before I was sure I could pop up on the water without falling.

When I told the boys this, Jasper said, "Well, then what you're doing is more along the lines of paddleboarding without a paddle, but we'll go with it."

Unfortunately, it wasn't going as well as we'd hoped it would. I'd already lost count of how many times I'd wiped out, with the welts all over my body and the saltwater in my lungs as souvenirs.

"You're only having so much trouble because you're afraid of falling again," Jasper explained.

In the past the week, I'd learned a lot about Emmett, Jasper, Rose, and Alice. Jasper, who wanted to be a psychologist, was definitely playing the part at the moment.

"Can you blame me?" I joked. "During my last wipeout, I'm pretty sure the people on the island heard the smack as I hit the water."

From the beach we were on, the island was more than a couple of miles away. Even though I was just being dramatic, my last fall had been pretty bad. The entire front of my body still felt sensitive from my belly flop.

After laughing for a few moments and recalling just how bad my fall had been, the boys grew serious. "Come on, Bells," Emmett said firmly. "Get like Nike, and just do it."

"Okay," I said and then steeled myself.

The next time I tried, I managed to pop up onto the board and stay stable. When I didn't fall, I started cheering and doing an understated version of my celebration dance, a mixture of hip wiggling, shoulder shaking, and a variety of hand movements. My dance moves were minimized, but I made the mistake of moving my foot. This threw off my balance and I went careening into the water as the surfboard slipped from underneath me. Even from underwater, I could hear Em and Jazz guffawing loudly in response. I surfaced laughing along with them.

Once the three of us had calmed down, I declared with a giggle, "Okay, I think that's it for today. My ego can't take much more of this."

"Neither can your body," Jasper said, pointing to a rather nasty bruise the size of my palm on my upper thigh and a couple of scratches on my forearms.

"Ugh, everything hurts," I moaned, dull pain throbbing all over my body.

"I can carry you to shore, if you want," Emmett offered.

"Nah, it's fine," I waved him off with a smile. "But thanks for the offer!"

I gave the board to Em and Jazz then made my way back to shore. When Alice and Rose came into view, I saw that they'd set up the large beach umbrella and were lounging in its shade. When they took in my battered body, their eyes grew wide with concern.

"Holy shit," Rose said, her eyes flickering between the bruise on my thigh and the big welt on my stomach from my last wipeout.

Alice stood up and took my hand in hers, examining the small scratches on my forearms. "Jesus, Bella, are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," I said, waving off her concern. "I just really suck at surfing."

"What happened?" Alice blurted, her eyes wide.

"When Em, Jazz, and I were still in shallow water, I tripped on a rock and ended up falling straight through the water to the sand. There were a couple of bigger rocks that scratched me up," I explained while looking at my wounds. "But the welts are from different falls, and I got the bruise when the board flipped during a wipeout. I ended up knocking my thigh against the point of the board. But it doesn't hurt too badly, so it's not a big deal."

"Here," Rose said while handing me a towel. "Dry off while I get the first aid kit from the car."

She got up from the blanket, dusted herself off, and then headed up the beach to the parking lot. I did as I was told, toweling off as best as I could.

"Did you have fun at least?" Alice asked hopefully, and I nodded emphatically.

"Definitely," I said with a big smile.

She motioned for me to sit next to her.

"How was sunbathing?" I asked her as I sat down on the blanket.

"It was relaxing," Alice answered then stretched. "I actually fell asleep for a bit."

I started giggling. When Alice slept, her mouth always fell open and she tended to drool.

"Did Rose take pictures again?" I asked through my chuckles.

"Ugh, you already know she'd never pass up an opportunity to add another picture to her blackmail folder," Alice complained, and I nodded.

Rose was very proud of the amount of blackmail she'd collected on Alice, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward. In the past week, she'd even managed to get a couple of embarrassing pictures of me, which she adamantly refused to get rid of. Emmett assured me that this was one of her ways of expressing that she appreciated me as a friend, but Rose emphasized that she wouldn't hesitate to whip them out if she ever needed to.

"Speak of the devil," I said as Rose appeared next to me with the kit in her hand.

"I'm so flattered!" she said jokingly. "What did I ever do to deserve such high praise?"

I laughed as I said, "Alice and I were just talking about your blackmail collection."

"You mean my pride and joy," she corrected then gently took my forearms in her hands. "Alright, let's disinfect your scratches," she said and then helped apply antibiotic ointment to my forearms.

"There's not much else we can do for the rest of me, huh?" I asked with a fake pout.

"Aww, sorry. Looks like you're just going to have to put on your big girl panties and suck it the hell up," Rose teased me.

I playfully flipped her off as she sat next to Alice. While Rose and Alice talked about a big party that they were supposed to go to, I flopped onto my stomach and rested my head on my arms. Before I knew it, I'd fallen asleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and the sun heating my skin.

I woke up to the sound of Alice and Rose arguing with someone.

"… such an ass, Edward!" Alice all but screeched.

I figured that Edward had come back from whatever he'd been doing with Friday. That wasn't her name. I didn't know what her name was, but neither did Alice and Rose. They had nicknamed Edward's regular companions based on which day of the week he usually saw them. They said it was easier than trying to remember their names, since there were five of them and they weren't worth the brain space.

Edward hadn't hung out with us since Monday, instead choosing to meet up with girl after girl while Alice, Rose, Jasper, Emmett, and I bonded. Rose and Alice started complaining to me about it yesterday, and even Jasper and Emmett seemed like they were uncomfortable with Edward's behavior.

As for myself, a small part of me was disappointed that he'd turned out to be just another asshole who thought it was okay to use women as playthings. Granted, Jasper had told me that Edward didn't really have to do anything to get girls to fall into bed with him. In fact, he said that girls usually approached Edward and he blew most of them off. But still, Edward didn't have to take advantage of their willingness and their feelings for him.

Unknowingly, I'd hoped that my initial judgement of him was wrong. My disappointment made me question whether the way he helped me with Charlie and how well we got along on Monday was just part of a plan to get me into bed with him.

"Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?" Rose demanded. "You've been avoiding us all week."

"Look, Edward, if this is your stupid way of avoiding your feelings for a certain brunette, you need to cut that shit out right now," Alice squeezed out between clenched teeth, sounding angrier and fiercer than I'd ever heard her.

"I just don't want to deal with someone whose massive amount of baggage has turned her into a stone cold bitch," Edward explained, his tone hard.

I tried to avoid flinching, even though I felt like I'd been physically hit. I knew that I hadn't been nice to Edward at first, but I thought we'd gotten past that.

"Shut the fuck up, Edward," Rose said coldly. "You know better than anyone that we all have baggage and how it's affected us."

"And if you tried to get to know Bella a little better, you'd understand just how wrong you are about her," Alice said angrily.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Edward grunted.

"I don't know why we even tried," Alice fumed. "You didn't listen to a single word we said."

"Just let him be the stubborn douchebag he is," Rose said flippantly. "It'll bite him in the ass, anyway."

A few tense moments of silence ensued, and I stayed still, debating what I should do. I wanted to go back to sleep so that I wouldn't have to deal with Edward, but I could feel my skin starting to get sunburnt. Alice decided for me when she reached over to shake my shoulder gently. I made a show of sleepily turning my head in her direction and blinking slowly at her as I stretched my arms.

"Hey," she said, smiling sadly at me. "You're starting to burn. You should probably join Rose and me in the shade, or at least flip over."

"Okay, thanks," I mumbled then moved to lay on my back.

I glanced over at Edward, who was staring at the sand intently. Like he had been for most of the week, he was pretending like I didn't exist. Alice sent him a menacing glare, but he didn't see it. She sighed then checked the time on her phone.

"We've been here for a while," she said. "Do you guys want to head home?"

"Yeah, we can finally show Bella the basement, and we can watch Netflix or something," Rose said then moved to stand up. "I'll just go get Jazz and Em."

"I'll get them," I said, standing up quickly. I didn't really want to get stuck packing everything up with Edward. I went back down to the water, trying to catch a glimpse of Emmett and Jasper. When I spotted them, I yelled their names until they turned around. I waved my arms to let them know to come back to the beach, and they started making their way to me.

A group of teenage boys, who had been tossing a football back and forth before I caught their attention with my actions, started whistling and hollering at me. Instead of saying anything to them or even glancing their way, all I did was lift a single middle finger in the air in their direction. A collective "ooh" ran through the group and immature laughter followed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw them start shoving each other as they moved in my direction. I stood my ground, raising an eyebrow at them as they got closer. Finally, the group stopped a couple of feet from me, and one of the guys sauntered up to me. His eyes trailed slowly from my feet, stopped at my breasts, and stayed there. I nicknamed him Creep.

"Can I help you?" I asked flatly.

"I hope you can," he said, smirking suggestively. "My boys and I are having a disagreement, and we need you to clear something up. They think you were blowing us off with that finger of yours." He stepped closer to me, his eyes finally meeting mine. "But I think it was an invitation, and I'd love to accept."

Before I could even open my mouth to reply, Edward's voice sounded from behind me. "Like hell it was," he said, moving and angling himself so that he was blocking the asshole's view of me.

"Who the fuck are you? Her boyfriend?" Creep questioned Edward.

"Just a friend," Edward answered.

"Then who are you to keep her from getting with me if she wants to?" he retorted. He directed his next question to me, "Don't you want me, baby?"

"Hell no," I said, the disgust clear in my voice and in my expression.

"You heard her," Edward said firmly. "Now walk away."

"Don't tell me what to do, asshole," Creep said, stepping closer to Edward. Edward was taller, but Creep was about the same build as Edward.

"I'm advising you the best course of action so that you don't end up unconscious, dickhead," Edward retorted menacingly.

"You think you can take me? I fucking dare you to try," he replied, his expression full of aggression.

"You two need to stop this," I said as I maneuvered myself to get in between them.

I was facing Edward, and I gently pressed against his chest, trying to make him step backwards. He didn't budge.

"Please, Edward," I said firmly. His eyes met mine and they softened at whatever they found there. He sighed and took a couple of steps backward.

"Pussy," Creep taunted and Edward whirled around, his arm pulled back and ready to punch the guy in the face.

"Don't!" I warned Edward, pushing against his chest earnestly to keep him from hurting the douchebag. Now_ I_ was pissed. I turned around, my expression thunderous even as I held Edward back from getting into a fight.

"Make no mistake, you fucking creep," I spat. "Edward might be able to beat you senseless in a minute, but I'd take you down in a second by kicking you right in the balls. If you'd like to avoid that pain, then you need to leave. Now."

"You should do as she says," Emmett said lowly from behind Creep, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. Jasper was next to Emmett, mirroring his threatening pose.

He looked between Jasper, Emmett, and Edward for a couple of moments, sizing them up. Then he eyed me and snarled, "You ain't worth shit anyway, bitch."

I rolled my eyes at him. Why did creeps always resort to insults when a girl rejected them? I made a shooing gesture at him and his group, and they slinked away. I huffed then turned to Edward.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded.

His eyes widened. "I was trying to keep that sleazy fucker from harassing you."

"I could've handled it. You just made it worse!" I argued.

"Sorry for giving a shit," Edward said sarcastically.

"Oh, so you give a shit now?" I asked with raised eyebrows. "After you've completely ignored me the past four days? Since I'm a cold stone bitch with a massive amount of baggage?"

Edward was silent.

"You don't get to treat me like that and then pretend like you care when it's convenient for you, Edward," I said and then pushed past him to go back to Alice and Rose. When I reached them, they already had everything packed and were watching me curiously.

"What the hell was that?" Rose queried.

"It was just some creep that I could have handled on my own, but your asshole of a brother made things worse," I said with a shake of my head. I crossed my arms over my chest irately, and Alice wrapped an arm around my waist and started leading me to the car.

I silently fumed. _How dare Edward think that he can flip flop between ignoring and insulting me and then acting like he cares about me! What the hell is his problem? I may not have been nice to him at first, but I sure as hell don't deserve to be treated like this._

I was so lost in my mental ranting that I didn't realize Alice had put me in the Jeep with Edward while the rest of our group piled into Rose's car and then sped off.

"Frickin' Alice," I muttered angrily as I yanked my seatbelt down to buckle myself in.

Edward cleared his throat, but I made a show of looking out of the window intently. He sighed heavily.

"I went over there because I saw the way those guys were bothering you," Edward explained. "And then when I heard that creep coming on to you, it pissed me off because it was obvious that he was an asshole."

"I could have handled it," I exploded. "I dealt with guys like that all the time at school."

"Yeah, but-" Edward tried to say, but I cut him off.

"I handled _you_, didn't I?" I challenged. "In fact, I did such a great job that I made you completely ignore me for half a week because you thought I was a frigid bitch. And I didn't even try."

Edward began, "You know it's rude to eaves-"

"And it's ruder to talk shit about someone when they're two feet away from you, even when you think they're asleep," I snapped.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward flinch. He abruptly pulled the car over to the side of the road and parked.

"I don't think you can park here," I commented, peeking out of the window. "I'm pretty sure this is a red zone."

"We'll only be here for a couple of minutes," Edward waved it off. He turned in his seat to face me, meeting my eyes. "I'm sorry. What I said was stupid." I opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off before I could even begin. "Jesus Christ, Bella, _shut up_. Just let me finish," he said exasperatedly, and I smirked, finding his frustration amusing.

He saw my smirk and narrowed his eyes at me, even as his own lips started to curve at the corners. Before I knew it, we were both laughing at ourselves and our situation. Once I was able to stop, I slapped his shoulder, but with no real malice.

"Damn it, why can't I be angrier at you?" I demanded, almost whining.

"Ouch! Fuck, Bella, that hurt!" Edward pouted.

"Oh, stop being a baby," I rolled my eyes. "You deserve a little punishment for being such an ass this week."

"Which I'm trying to apologize for, if you would stop interrupting me," Edward snarked, running his hands through his hair. He took a deep breath then began again, "I'm sorry I was such a dick. I just don't think that I'm good for you."

I raised my eyebrows at him and questioned, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not a good person," he explained. "You shouldn't be around me and-"

"Stop right there, Edward," I interjected. "Don't use that brooding, self-loathing bullshit as a lame excuse to justify being a jerk. First, it's not cute. Second, I don't believe it for a second. If you were such a terrible person, you wouldn't have helped me with Charlie and when those guys were harassing me. I may hate the way you use girls, but for a quick second on Monday, I actually thought we could get along."

He was silent. I sighed then asserted, "You don't have to tell me why you decided to be an asshole. Just hop off your mood swing and decide whether or not you can handle being my friend, because I refuse to deal with your indecision."

"Okay," Edward said simply.

"Okay," I repeated.

"Okay," Edward nodded then exited the parking spot, resuming our drive back to the dock. He was quiet, so I assumed that he'd decided not to be my friend. Of course it stung a little, but maybe it was for the best.

We were fairly quiet during the rest of the drive, just listening to the radio. A song that I didn't recognize came on, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Edward start to mouth the lyrics. I tried not to be too conspicuous with my staring so he wouldn't stop. By the time the second refrain started, Edward was singing quietly, his voice smooth, rich, and low. I closed my eyes and listened to the soothing tones of his voice, but then I got distracted by the lyrics of the song.

I started thinking out loud, almost ranting. "Okay, this song is super catchy, but it really makes no sense at all. Why can't he feel his face? Is he that drunk or high? I feel like that's a red flag moment, when you should know that you really need to stop. But why is it only when he's with her that he can't feel his face? What if she's poisoning him? I just really think that he should be more concerned than he is, you know?"

Edward started laughing so hard that I was concerned he'd crash the car. He didn't stop laughing until he pulled into the parking space next to Rose's car a few minutes later. I'd only been thinking out loud, so I was a little annoyed that he found my inner musings so hilarious.

When his laughter finally died out, he looked at me with a wide smile on his face. I froze and took in the beauty of his expression as my heart stuttered. I couldn't fight the smile that graced my face, stretching from ear to ear to match his.

"You're so…" he shook his head, his wide eyes searching my face for something.

"Funny, intelligent, beautiful? Take your pick. They all fit," I teased.

He shook his head, smirking. "I was going to say ridiculous," he corrected.

I shrugged then finished for him, "-ly awesome."

Edward sobered quickly, his eyes darkening with intensity. His eyes searched mine, and I looked back at him curiously.

"I don't have the strength to stay away from you anymore," he declared after a moment.

"You know there are ways you could have said 'I want to be your friend' without sounding creepy," I pointed out, smirking.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't make me regret my decision so quickly, Swan," he cautioned playfully.

"Please," I joked. "I'm the best decision you've made in a while, possibly ever."

Without waiting for his reply, I climbed out of the Jeep and found the others waiting for us. Edward followed my lead and exited the car, tossing the keys to Emmett.

"We almost thought you guys killed each other on the way home," Emmett said, grinning widely.

Edward scoffed, "Believe me, I thought about it."

My jaw popped open in indignation, "Hey!"

"She made my apology so difficult, interrupting me over and over and over," he complained to his adoptive siblings.

"Why would I make it easy for you?" I asked with a shrug of my shoulders.

"I don't know, but you could _try_ being nice every once in a while," Edward complained jokingly.

"This _is_ me being nice," I smirked.

Alice interjected before Edward could say anything, "Thank god things are back to normal."

Instead of responding to me like I thought he would, Edward flicked his gaze between his sister and me. A small smile played on his lips as his eyes settled on mine. "Yeah," he said, his eyes bright. "Thank god."

* * *

><p><strong>I'm so sorry this took so long! <strong>**I started it right after I posted chapter 5, but I just couldn't quite make it feel right.**

**But it's here now! I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think :)**

**Next up, we have the party, where there will be drinking, dancing, and bad decisions. Since the chapter is already written because it was part of CCPE and I just have to edit, it should be up sooner rather than later, so please follow if you haven't yet! There's so much more to come.**

**Thank you so much for reading!**


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